Vampirism3

Vampiric population grew gradually throughout the Dark Ages.
In fact, vampiric population growth outstripped human growth,
as there were few restriction on breeding in the fragmented society of kindred.
By the early middle ages, vampiric population had grown to several thousand,
with generations ranging all the way from 4th to 10th,
with a few 11th and 12th generation.
No other time saw a greater generational spread of vampires active in the world.
A few Antediluvians still moved openly as well,
notably Lasombra, Tzimisce, Cappodocius, and Tremere.

By the 13th century vampiric population pressures were extreme.
Mortal backlash was not long in coming.
The Inquisition swept through vampiric population like a scythe,
it was mostly the young that fell to the human wolves.
This time, the young would not stand for such treatment by their elders.
The younger kindred rose against their elders in a terrible war,
as bloody as all the previous vampiric wars.
Perhaps a third of kindred fell to the Inquisition's flames,
and another third to vampiric infighting,
including many elders and even a few Antediluvians.
Very few of the young survived,
and those that did often partook of elder blood,
raising their generation.

Outside of Europe there never was an Inquisition.
The non-European vampires had a much stronger continuity from antiquity,
though in many ways the expansion of Islam affected them
much as the Inquisition did European vampires, just not so violently.
Because of this, the non-European clans like the Assamites,
Ravnos and Setites are less concerned with
the Masquerade and the war between the Sabbat and the Camarilla

After The Dark Ages

After the dust settled,
vampires were largely arrayed in one of two Sects:
the Sabbat and the Camarilla.
The eldest vampires worked mostly from behind the scenes,
or at the high levels of Sabbat or Camarilla society, remaining hidden,
or controlling important princedoms or the new Justicar positions.
The war between the two sects raged on and off during through the centuries.

The primary impetus for the growth of vampire kind
was the colonial period of Europe; vampires spread along with their mortal minions.
Often the Sabbat forged the way,
seeking a safe ground from the superior strength of the Camarilla,
and the Camarilla followed to claim the lands for their own.
Vampires spread throughout the Western World,
the America's, Australia, Africa.
Only in the East did they meet serious opposition,
as they met strange bloodlines and even clans, that resisted their expansion.