beautiful old tombs. There is also a cloister whose own wall carvings possess a primitive charm. ‘The city also features numerous buildings that were destroyed duting the Musim conquest and never t Suilt. They stand deserted, avoided by most mortals, The local leader of the Apostles, Aime: uses these muins to hold informal meetings with other members of herflock. Aimersent isa powerlullycharismatic Cainite with a remarkable ability eo command her fellow Apostles. Her charisma is only exceeded by her ambi- tion. Unlike many Apostles, she does not wish simply awescape the Cainite Heresy but todestroy it, Thus, she and her flock spend much of their time plottingagainst Heretics in Navarre and elsewhere. S AND RELIGION soteworthy for itssizable Jewish community, many of whom — like their brethren in Pamplona — are well traveled merchants. One of their number, a cert Renjamin, traveled throughout Italy, Greece, Perea, Palestine and the borders of China during the period fetween 1159and 1173. Benjamin collected the noses cihis travels in a book, called Masza’ot, and published icfor the benefit of Christian ancl Jow alike “The hook isavaluable compendium cfinformationon the peoples and cultures of faraway lands, making it mach sought alter by scholars and travelers alike. Cansrre Arran As noted above, the Apostles of the Third Caine have a sizable presence in Tudela. Aimersent’s plans have attracted the attention of the city’s prince, a Lasommbxa nainedl Fulgencio d'ldabis, Fulgencio has 0 love for the Cainite Heresy (heingachilde of Ambrosio Mongada}, burhe does not tolerate attempts to turn his domain into» war zone, Thus, he has instructed his inion to root our the Apostles by any meana neces sary. The last thing Fulgencio wants is for a powerful Heretic ro be killed in Tudela, thereby precipitating a Hood hune within the city. Fortheir part, the Apostles gem unconcerned, helieving Fulgencio's effortswill be po more successful than his predecessor's PorTUGAL Portugal is situated on the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, being bounded on thenorth and east ly various stares, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the south by the tafas, Portugal and the other suites with which it shares the peninsula are not sepa- ed by a strongly marked nacural boundary such as divides some counities. Indeed they are geographically indistinct —afactthathashaunted Portuguese foreign ply for decades The northem portion of Portugal is mountainous and rises from 1,800 to 5,000 feet, including the Serra do Gerez,notable forits vegetation and thermal springs The cential portion ofthe country sa zone of extensive plains divided by mountain ranges, among the latter theSerma daEstrella,which rises c0 6,540 feet and is the highest and largest tn the country. The scuthern frontier isalmost entirely composed of low-lying plains and plateaus. In all these regions, the mounteins are \sually part of other Ikerian ranges. The only indepen- dent range of importance is the Serra de Monchique In the north, Portugal is home to many chains of mountains, plateaus of considerable height and deep harrow valleys. In the center, roverher with high ond extensivemountains, are broad valleys and large plains. South of the Tejo River (the Tajo, in Spanish), the Country is one of plains punccuated with hills. Irs chiet rivers are the Minho, the Douro (the Duero, in Span. ish) the Mondego. the Tejo, the Sadoand the Guiana The Tejoisnavigable forsmall vessels asfiarasSantarem, There are no lakes worthy of mention, contributing to the generally arid quality of much of the country Portugal has tew good natural harbors. The primary exception to thisis Lishon, which boasts one ofthe best in Europe. Already, the Portuguese have begun to realize the importance of this harbor, using it for the benefit of their mercantile ventures, ‘The country’s orher ports are less accessible, usually blocked by sand bars and other obstacles. Thus, Lisbon continues £0 grovy in importance, being Portugal's primary gateway to the world beyond Ierio, Portugal isrich in mineral depesits, including anti- mony, copper, lead, tin and iton. Coal, however, is scarce and of poor quality. The country also has more than a hundred mineral aprings and; like chewhete on the peninsula, local legends hold that some of these springs have medicinal properties, attracting the atten tion of both mortals and Cainites. Indeed, the Brujah hold that the Spring of Vishel north of Braga grants ecstatic visions to those who drink deeply of its waters (a grueling challenge for ascion of Caine). Yeehel was a Carthaginian Brujah renowned for her keen insights into the future. She was among the first of her clan to come to the Tberian Peninsula but met her Final Death in the conflicts with the Roman Ventrue during the Visigothic era Portugal's climate is temperate, but it differs from place to place according to soil, distance from the sea and other factors. The plateaus of Traz-os-Montes and Beira are cold and harsh, while the southern frontier is hot. Even where the temperature is most extreme, the temperature rarely exceeds tolerable levels, Snow falls only in winter, in the high mountains and inthenorth. The omnipresent humidity produces fogs that rence the coasts dangerous tosailing vessels. Most ofthe year, winds from the northwest, noth and northeast prevail, but in winter southwesterly winds dominate, usually ‘accompanied by storms. Generally speaking, the weather THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMSis pleasant, and some physics believe that Lisbon has a particularly he: hful climate. Portugal’s vegetation is rich, including neatly all the vegetable species of temperate clinnates and a large number of those found in hot countries. Among tr the pine is the most characteristic, bur it does notgrow south of the Sado River. Fruit trees abound, especially on the Upper Douro and in Beira, Olives and oranges areeverywhereyand Traz-os- Montes producesalmonds Grapes grow throughout thecountry, The cerealsmost commonly grown are wheat and rye, but Portugal must still denend om foreign countries for 9 portion. af ite bread supply. Wine, oil, fruit, vegetables, cattle and cork are exported in large quantities. The chief manu- factured items are wool, gold and silver work, and pottery. Fishingis one ofthe primary pccupationsof the covstal cis: the catches roursh the inhabitants cf those inland as wel Lisson Lisbon is said to owe its origin to Ulysses, and hence its oldest name was Ulisaypo or Olissipo. The Phoenecians called it Alisubbo, meaning “friendlybay,” and the Romans also thought highly of it, naraing it Felicitas Julia. The city lies on the north bank of the Tejo River, 12 miles from the open sea, clustered around seven hills that rise above one another. The town was captured by the Muslims in 716and remained in their possession ntil 1145. At that time, Altonso Henriques drove out the invaders with the assistance of anarmy of Crusaders, including Englishmen, Normans and Flemings bound for the Holy Land. Shortly there- after, be moved his capital fro Cotinbra to Lisbon, Portuguese kings have followed the precedent set by that battle ever since, namely the employment of foreign crusaders in the battle against the Moors. Su. Viwen (or Saw Vicente int Portuguese) y che patron saint of Lisbon, was martyred for defending his faith uncer the persecution of the emperor Diocletian, According to local legend, his body was attached co a millstone ond flung into the sea in 336, but it woo miraculously discovered on the sands at Valencia by Christians of that city In the eighth century, the Muslims captured Valencia, and its inhabitants fled by sea, toking the rebcs of St. Vincent with them. They were driven ashore on the coast of the Algarve at the cape now knownasCape St. Vincent. There they remainedunti Alfonso Henriques expelled the Mudims fram 1 ishon ‘The saint's relies were then brought thece and depos ited in the cathedral Alfonso had just built, Alfonso also began the building of a Cistercian monastery of Alcobaca, in fulfillment of a vow he had made to build a monastery for St. Bernard’smonk he were success ful in his war against the Muslims. ISERIA BY NIGHT DrscRIPTION The oldest portion of Lisbon is along the steep slopes of the Castello de Sao Jorge, which had been the stronghold of the Muslims. In the neighborhood of the cathedral (or Sé,as itis known), there are Roman ruins including the remains ofa theater. Although unused by mortals, the theater isa monthly meeting place forthe city's Apostles of the Third Caine. They gather on the night o{thenew moon hefore retiringto awarehouse on the docks to partake in a communal blood feast. The Apostles operate with the utmost secrecy, lest they be dinsovered either by Calnite Hort tof the ambitious Lasombra Vicente de Cardona, either of which would destroy them. The city’s Brujah prince Macario, bears no ill will toward the Apostles, but he is unwilling to defend them against any of their enemies ‘The Cathedral of Senta Maria is the oldest churck in Lisbon, dating back to the year 306. It served as « mosque for the Muslimsduring their occupation of the city, The facade with its towers and massive portico has yet to be rebuilt, despite promises from both civil and ecclesiastical officials. Qutside what were the old walls of Lisbon sandsthe hutch io Vicenteda Fora The church contains the mortuary chapel of the kings of Portugal as well as a monswery. This chapa hkewise attractsthe Apostles, who have taken a keen interest it the lineage of King Sancho as par of their investigation into his possible messianic status. A lone Cappadocia named Nyssa assists them in this endeavor, because of the unlikely possibility that the king faked his own death in 1211 Another significanc landmark of Lisbon is the Castello de Sao Jorge. The Castello was builtin thetme of Julius Caesat and reinforced by the Muslims, who used it in their defense of the city against Alfonso Henriques. It has three towers, known as Ulysses, Aikattein il Maegcias The Capella te sear the residence of the kings of Portugal. [ts imposing appearance and strength are a reminder that Portugal remains a nation under arms. The Reconquista is very much alive in this newest of lherian seals asthe worry that the Muslims could retake it at any time. Thus, Lisbon remains heavily fortified and populated by soldiers and mercenaries ofall sorts Pournics AND RELIGION Lisbon is city under arms. The streets of Lisbon resound with the elamorof armored feet, as both native Portuguese knights and foreigners fill the city. This is exactly how King Alfonso II prefers it. His grandfather, Alfonso Henriques, won the independence of Portugal partially through martial prowess, and Alfonso hes no intention of losing it due to inattention to that same field ofendeavor. Consequently, Lisbon oftes. appeats tobe the most heavily fortified ofall the Christian cities of IberiaAn important faction among the soldiers are the foreign crusaders, many of them Hospitalers and Templars, who have taken up the battle against the infidel in Porrugal. Like his father, Alfonso rewards these crusaders generously, treating them as national heroes of Portugal. Many have gained great wealth and influence because of their aid to the king. Naturally, their presence has raised the eyebrows of many Portu- ese soldiers and noblemen, who consider them to have ulterior motives for their assistance in the Reconquista. If these patriotic men only realized that among the foreigners were many Cainites, theit levelof concern would be greater still. Lire tN rue Crry Lisbon blows with the trade winds. Theeity's large baad nany ports come and go on a ‘egular basis. They bring not only more soldiers for the Reconguisa but also supplies and news of the wider world. While the inhabitants ofthe city are still some: what sheltered and ignorant, that is changing. In the lise few years, contact with the rest of Europe has increased dramatically, leading to a greater under sanding of Portugal’s place in the greater scheme of things. King Alfonso encourages this, as doesthe Brujah rince, believing itcanonly serve Lisbon forthe better Inaddltion, Lisbon is quickly acquiring the reputa- tion as home to some of Europe's hest sailors. Although totall of these salors are Portuguese, many call Lisbon their homeport, as it offers more opportunities than forts elsewhere, From Lishon, the Atlantic coasts of FrnceandrheLowCouneries aswell arEnglandand Scandinavia — are open. Likewise, North Africa ancl regions further south beckon. These opportunities are wees ships from teo much for true mariners to pass up, which is why so many have come here. Alfonso has not yet taken advantage of this situation, but the king intendsto build astrongernavy ance he feels more secure in his position on the peninsula, For their part, the Brujah have little Interest in sea travel, except to the extent that it advances their dreams Cauntre Arrairs Vampires of Clan Brujah have already infilerated the king's inner circle. One of their number, a female Cainite nomedAyzebel,cervea asthe latc hing Sancho's personal astrologer and soothsayer. She was genuinely helpful to him as he waged war against the Muslims The Brujah hoped that Ayzekel could influence the king to act in a fashion conducive to their gouls, particularly by weakening the influence of the Church and the local nobility These hopes may have died with Sancho in 1211 Ayzetel has disappeared without a trace, a: if she had simply vanished trom the face of che earth. Neither her clanmatesnorher enemieshave any idea what became ofher. Meanwhile, the Apostles of the Third Caine led by Bakesquida are unsure what to make of thie tarn of events, They had believed KingSancho to bea possible ‘Third Caine, but his death has called that attribution into question. That hisCainite advisor has disappeared along with him has emboldened some of the Apostles, who believe his “death” merely presages his reappear” th they hoped him to be. Beyond the machinations of the Apostles and the Brujah are the ambitions of Vicente de Cardona, After many years of lobbying, he has been sent to Lisbon to claim Porcugal for Clan Lasombra. He seems like a somewhat boorish man, and has made several blunders, but hehasa dangerous list cf cont to spill blood — living ang unliving locals cis and a willingness that gives the