ASSAMITE SCHISM
Loyalists
The Loyalist faction is that which is most similar to the general Kindred world's view of the Assamite clan as a whole. Most follow the Path of Blood. Loyalist doctrine holds that ur-Shulgi, the Assamite Methuselah who awoke at the end of the 20th century, is Haquim's herald. According to ur-Shulgi, Haquim is the only true authority that any Child of Haquim should recognize. The Ancestor's peers once charged him with bringing order to the Second City, but their petty bickering (and that of their decendants) proved them incapable of maintaining the honor necessary to uphold their part of the bargain. Thus, the destruction that the Children of Haquim visit upon the Cainites is nothing more than the justice they themselves have requested.
Most loyalists fall along traditional lines of clan organization. The center of the heirarchy is Alamut, the mountain stronghold. ur-Shulgi serves as Eldest until the return of Haquim (which Loyalists believe is imminent). There is no current Caliph, though challenges for the position seem inevitable. The Amr is Amaravati, al-Ashrad's childe and chosen successor. The faction acknowledges no loyalist Vizier and probably never will, due to the widespread desertion of the viziers.
Dispossessed
Caught in the middle are the Dispossessed, who see Alamut and the Camarilla as two polar extremes. There was once a greater number of Dispossessed prior to the Treaty of Tyre; after which most were either hunted down or hid until they slipped into torpor. Afterward, Dispossessed could have been found among the Inconnu, Autarkis, Anarchs, or even the Camarilla. However, in the events following the Schism, as much as a third of the clan has struck out on it's own, seeing the options as either intolerable or suicidal. Both faction leaders are scrambling to bring these diverse individuals back into the fold.
Assamite Antitribu
The antitribu began its existence as a group of desparate survivors fighting to salvage their clan's honor in the face of what they saw as an unconsciable submission to an inferior opponent. The handful of warriors joined the nacent Sabbat, and over the centuries grew into the backbone of the Black Hand, the Sabbat's elite military arm. By late 1998, the antitribu made up the majority of the leadership and comprised far more of the Hand's total membership than any other single clan or bloodline. The Sabbat overpowered close to a city a month along the East Coast, and the antitribu were spearheading the most successful series of assaults in the sect's history. Then ur-Shulgi completed the Breaking, and over two weeks the majority of the Assamite's simply disappeared. The Sabbat was crippled. Within a year, there was an influx of refugees from Alamut. Their motivation was not simply an escape from disgrace, but rather a flight from what one early arrival termed 'the walking atrocity that sits on the Black Throne and claims to speak with Haquim's voice'. Although these new arrivals are young and disorganized, this marks the first instance where members of the sorcerer and vizier castes have joined the Sabbat.
Schismatics
The first appearances of the schismatics in early 2000 threatened to shatter the Kindred world's long-held assumptions about the Children of Haquim. These are the members of the clan who are generally the most capable of coexisting nonviolently with those Cainites who follow the Traditions. Many schismatics retain their mortal values and moralities, though a signifigant minority of Path of Blood adherents exist within their ranks. The core doctrinal argument that led the schismatic leaders to split from the main body has to do with the Law of Judgement. Widespread destruction of all non-Assamite Cainites is tantamount to genocide, and judging all other vampires on the basis of the actions of a visible minority of them is anything but just. Most schismatics have a strong sense of irony, recognizing that the very prejudice they condemn in their own clan is levied against them by most of the rest of the Kindred world.
A large portion of Schismatics have a quarrel with Alamut based on faith. When ur-Shulgi ascended to the Black Throne, one of his first dictates was the immediate cessation of all worship save that of Haquim. He followed the proclamation by destroying several widely respected elders who refused to renounce Allah. Practitioners of every major world religion followed al-Ashrad into exile, turning their backs on their clan rather than on their respective gods.
As tentative allies (even prospective members) of the Camarilla, all schismatics refrain from diablerie. This is particularly difficult for warrior-caste schismatics, whose hunger did not die with their shift for allegiance. Most Camarilla prince's are aware of the warrior's addiction, thanks to al-Ashrad's revelations during his bid for Camarilla hospitality, and grant appropriate concessions. The schismatics maintain a loose organizational structure that mimics the pre-Schism order. Al-Ashrad serves a dual role as Amr and Eldest. Tegyrius, the pre-Schism Vizier, still holds that position. The schismatic faction has no Caliph, as the Camarilla would see the establishment of a formal organizational structure of warriors as too much of a threat. In most cities, the eldest sorceror or vizier is the de facto leader of all local schismatics and must typically report his 'subjects' activities to the prince on a regular basis.
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