Kindred Society

THE SECTS

The Camarilla

Kindred society is one of social maneuvering, with political intrigue bred both from within and from beyond affiliated groups. Nowhere is this truer than in the "Ivory Tower" of the Camarilla — the de facto authority in modern nights. The Camarilla strictly adheres to a set of ancient laws known as the Traditions. Created as a reaction to the Inquisition, this sect sees its purpose as maintaining the Masquerade as a means of ensuring the survival of all Kindred. While describing itself in idealistic terms might suggest a genteel society of undead peers, the Camarilla harbors a vast, complex, and rigid hierarchy that breeds ancient rivalries and vicious political machinations. Though historically secular, the rise of modern blood cults have forced the Camarilla rethink the application of religion as a form of control.

Titles & Positions...

• The Prince
  For the Camarilla, the Prince is the premier authority over a city. They are in charge of law, governance, and enforcing the Traditions. Beyond that, a Prince has any individual powers they can claim and uphold, such as declaring Elysium, calling a Blood Hunt, adjudicating disputes between residents, the right to claim a blood-tribute, and potentially even the right to name, ignore, or even disband the Primogen. Kindred of any age can in theory be Prince, but in reality, Praxis — the right of Princes to rule — goes only so far as the members of a domain respect and allow it.

• The Seneschal
  The Seneschal is the right hand of the Prince. The title itself is liquid, and has different responsibilities in different domains. In some cases, a Seneschal has little actual power, and is more of an honorific title intended to exalt a peer or grant Status to a trusted aide. In other cases, the Seneschal wields as much or even more power than the Prince themselves, issuing decrees, rendering judgment, and enforcing the Traditions.

• The Primogen Council
  The Primogen council represents the interests of the clans and advises the Prince on matters of law and rule. Traditionally, it consists of representatives from each of the most prominent clans in the domain — naturally favoring those of the Camarilla, though outsiders are allowed to report any issues to a Primogen not of their own clan. Primogen are often elders, but there are no rules in place that this is how it must be. Sometimes, a Primogen may even appoint a Clan Whip, who is tasked with collecting the opinions of the various members of the clan or faction, and serves as enforcer and advisor to the Primogen.

• The Sheriff
  The Sheriff ensures that the Traditions and the decrees of the Prince are obeyed, hunts down violators, and delivers just punishment. In the case of minor violations or known enemies of the Camarilla, the Sheriff is usually authorized to act as both judge and jailer/executioner, but when it comes to greater offenses, they will deliver the accused to the court to be judged. The Sheriff is sometimes granted the ability to appoint Hounds, who serve as his investigators and enforcers. Hounds may be keen-eyed, quick-witted factfinders, but just as frequently, they’re sadistic bullies who take pleasure in their sanctioned brand of corrupt justice. There are many ways of doing the job, but the best Sheriffs are calculating, sharp, and merciless.

• The Herald:
  Often disparagingly referred to as a Harpy, the Herald acts as the voice of the Prince, proclaiming decrees to Kindred subjects and carrying messages to and from other rulers. They are the opinion leaders and the trend-setters to whom other Kindred look. An important task in any domain is maintaining the records of prestation, the system of favors traded, offered, won, and used. The Herald responsible for this is sometimes known as the Chancellor.

• The Keeper of Elysium
  This is a largely honorific title, though it has many practical responsibilities. The Keeper of Elysium is tasked with hosting ceremonies and social gatherings and maintaining a sanctuary where no strife can enter. Some Elysia we share with the kine, and here the Masquerade must be upheld. Others are highly-secured Kindred-only locations where we are free to drop our masks and wear the faces we want.

• The Principal of Faith
  The Principal of Faith is an ancient position that has recently come back in vogue in certain domains. The title covers a bewildering array of courtly advisors on matters of the soul, reminding the Kindred of the domain of their humanity or advising the Prince on matters of cultural diplomacy. The Principal has a varying degree of power, from officiant of courtly rituals that no-one really puts much stock in, to being able to override the Prince on matters of faith and forgiveness. Some Principals are even consulted in matters of interpretation of the Traditions.

• The Scourge
  The Scourge is responsible for the destruction of unauthorized childer, namely Thin-Blooded, Caitiff, and rogue embraces. Unlike the Sheriff, the Scourge doesn't uphold the pretense of investigation, as they are seeking vampires who are guilty by their very nature. Though originating as a position in Camarilla courts of the Dark Ages, recent appointments have seen the role of Scourge often found in paranoid or fanatic domains where elders believe that fighting the symptoms of the Final Nights will stave off the coming of Gehenna.

The Anarch Movement

While original a faction within the Camarilla, the Anarch Movement has recently been pushed to the fringes of Kindred society by an ever-more paranoid Ivory Tower. Largely made up of decentralized groups of vampires who question what they see as the Camarilla's outmoded means of governing, the Anarch Movement contains a diverse range of ideologies who have little more in common than a distaste for the status quo. Those outside the Movement — and even some within — tend to see it as little more than bickering street gangs or blood cults who would rather take power for themselves than actually distribute it among their peers. Anarchs tend to uphold the Masquerade in theory, but rarely pay any respect to the other Traditions.

Titles & Positions...

• The Baron:
  A Baron, or so-called "First Among Equals", is a loosely applied term found in more organized Anarch domains. Originally used ironically as a title to describe Anarch leaders, it later acquired more nuance and connotations. However, at its most basic a Baron is still a strong Anarch who controls territory and wields authority over those living in it. Though not a given, many Barons have had a tendency to behave like autocrats, suspiciously indistinguishable from Camarilla Princes.

The Sabbat

The Sabbat was formed from the ashes of the original Anarch Revolt, comprised of those who refused to ever kneel before their Elders again. The Sabbat do not put stock in the notion of clan identities, nor do they openly follow the Traditions. They instead adhere to a system of self-rule, radical freedom, and almost fanatical interdependence. Active belief in an inevitable Gehenna emboldens the so-called "Sword of Caine" to see it as their duty to protect Cainites from the predation of the Antediluvians. The Sabbat believe themselves superior to humans and ultimately believe that they should rule over the human world rather than hide from it.

Titles & Positions...

• The Bishop:
  Archbishops’ and Bishops’ primary responsibility is maintaining domains to best serve the Gehenna Crusade. This takes a variety of forms, from providing materiel to maintaining knowledge repositories about what front-line fighters and scouts have found to providing safe haven for sabotage packs waging hit-and-run tactics on the war front or against rival domains. In this sense, domains claimed by Bishops and Archbishops may be "fall-back domains" or places where convocations of Necronomists research new ritae.

• The Pack Priest:
  In most packs, all of the Cainites belonging to that pack follow the same Path of Enlightenment. A Priest serves as both the spiritual and tactical leader of individual Sabbat packs, subsuming previously shared titles like "Ductus". They are the voice that brings the Beast to heel, the officiant of rites that bind the pack together, and the sergeant who ministers to the pack’s need for direction.

• The Priscus:
  Sometimes referred to as the "Inquisition", the Prisci have emerged as a different aspect of the Black Hand. From spymasters organizing the infiltration of other sects, to reconnaissance experts sneaking past the front lines, to influential councilors with access to the Archbishops, the Prisci are often the minds backing the arm wielding the Sword of Caine. The Prisci are very often the primary sources of information and intelligence the sect gathers, with an especially keen eye toward schisms of faith.

THE TRADITIONS

The Traditions are the fundamental laws of Kindred society, supposedly handed down by Caine himself. They form the legal backbone of Camarilla society, although in modern nights, the Prince of a city fulfills the "Elder" role outlined in the Traditions. Most vampiric culture springs from the Traditions – presentation is outlined in the Tradition of Hospitality, the Blood Hunt in the Tradition of Destruction, and the parceling of land in the Tradition of Domain.

• First Tradition: The Masquerade
  Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood.
  Doing such shall renounce thy claims of Blood.
  
  
• Second Tradition: The Domain
  Thy domain is thine own concern.
  All others owe thee respect while in it.
  None may challenge thy word while in thy domain.
  
  
• Third Tradition: The Progeny
  Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine Elder.
  If thou createst another without thine Elder's leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain.
  
  
• Fourth Tradition: The Accounting
  Those thou create are thine own children.
  Until thy Progeny shall be Released, thou shall command them in all things.
  Their sins are thine to endure.
  
  
• Fifth Tradition: The Hospitality
  Honor one another's domain.
  When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there.
  Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing.
  
  
• Sixth Tradition: The Destruction
  Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind.
  The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder.
  Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt.

PRESTATION

The system of Prestation is what keeps vampiric society together and tempers the Bestial inclination toward violent isolationism. As a result, Kindred society is a Byzantine knot of favors owed, loyalties sworn, debts repaid, and promises broken. Prestation is the primary form of currency among the Damned, who are able to outlive a nation’s local economic system. While the Harpies of the Camarilla make it their job to track who owes whom, those Kindred within the Anarch Movement tend to trade in Boons more literally, as symbolized by small trinkets.

They say a clever vampire grants favors while a foolish one incurs them — and becomes a servant to their promises and debts. Yet those debts owed aren't created out of thin air. In order to owe someone a boon, you probably got something in return. Furthermore, if ever you meet the Final Death, your executioner may find that they are now expected to pay your debt instead. This means that owing boons to powerful and feared vampires is one of the best forms of protections you can get.

• Trivial Boons are a minor favor that owed between two vampires. This is something simple, such as making an introduction, covering a faux pas, or warning a vampire about a potential danger. This type of boon should be freely offered and accepted, much like a business card. A trivial boon is an excellent way to start a relationship.
  
  
• Minor Boons represent a favor that requires a significant amount of time or effort, but low risk. You might be asked to watch over someone’s property. You might be asked to retrieve a retainer, help someone gain feeding rights for a short amount of time, or help another vampire gain control over some minor bits of influence.
  
  
• Major Boons are a serious favor that might involve risking your life or political and social capital. This might involve you fighting an enemy, protecting an enemy with your life, or supplanting your own political and social desires.
  
  
• Life Boons are rare and should only be given in circumstances when a vampire saves the life of another vampire when not required to do so due to social circumstances. Owing a life boon can be a tragic situation. To many vampires, owing a life boon is the equivalent of being an unreleased childer. To owe a life boon is to surrender all of your own will until you have saved the life of the one that owns your life boon. Until then, you are the equivalent of vampire furniture with no will of your own.

LEXICON

Common Parlance
These words are in common use among all echelons of Kindred society.

• Beast, The — The inchoate drives and urges that threaten to turn a vampire into a mindless, ravening monster.

• Blood Bond — The power over another individual, engendered by partaking of a particular vampire’s blood thrice.

• Coterie — A small group of Kindred, united by the need for support and sometimes common interests.

• Diablerie — The consumption of another Kindred’s blood, to the point of the victim’s Final Death. This is a capital crime in the Camarilla, and an accepted practice in the Sabbat.

• Domain — The area of a particular vampire’s influence. Princes claim entire cities as their domains, sometimes allowing lesser vampires to claim domain therein.

• Elder — A vampire who has experienced at least two or more centuries of unlife. Elders are the most active participants in the Jyhad.

• Elysium — A place where vampires may gather without fear of harm.

• Embrace, The — The act of transforming a mortal into a vampire. The Embrace requires the vampire to drain her victim and then replace that victim’s blood with a bit of her own.

• Final Death, The — When a vampire ceases to exist, crossing the line from undeath into death.

• Fledgling — A newly created vampire, still under her sire’s protection.

• Gehenna — The rumored Armageddon when the Antediluvians will rise from their torpor and devour the race of vampires and the world.

• Generation — The number of "steps" between a vampire and the mythical Caine; how far descended from the First Vampire a given vampire is.

• Ghoul — A minion created by giving a bit of vampiric blood to a mortal without first draining her of blood.

• Haven — A vampire’s "home"; where she finds sanctuary from the sun.

• Jyhad, The — The secret, self-destructive war waged between all Kindred. Elder vampires manipulate their lessers, using them as pawns in a terrible game whose rules defy comprehension.

• Kindred — The race of vampires as a whole, or a single vampire.

• Kiss, The — To drink blood, especially from a mortal. The Kiss causes feelings of ecstasy in those who receive it.

• Lupine — A werewolf, the natural and enemy of the vampire race. Plural Lupines.

• Sire — A vampire’s "parent"; the Kindred who created her.

• Vessel — A source of vitae for sustenance or pleasure, primarily mortal.

Archaic
Elders typically use these turns of phrase, which have existed since long before the modern nights. Though in certain some company, their use may be seen as humorously anachronistic, or even misconstrued as elders’ propaganda.

• Amaranth — The act of consuming another Kindred’s blood, q.v. diablerie.

• Ancilla — A "proven" vampire, between the elders and the neonates. Plural ancillae.

• Antediluvian — A member of the dreaded Third Generation, one of the eldest Kindred in existence.

• Cainite — A vampire; a member of the race of Caine.

• Domitor — A ghoul’s master; one who feeds her blood and issues her commands.

• Golconda — A fabled state of vampiric transcendence; the true mastery of the Beast and balance of opposing urges and principles.

• Kine — A term for mortals, largely contemptuous.

• Methuselah — A vampire who has existed for a millennium or more; an elder who no longer participates in Kindred society. Methuselahs are rumored to hail from the Fourth and Fifth Generations.

• Neonate — A young Kindred, recently Embraced.

• Praxis — The right of Princes to govern; the Prince’s claim to domain. This term also refers to the Prince’s matters of policy and individual edicts and motions.

• Regnant — A Kindred who holds a blood bond over another.

• Retainer — A human who serves a vampiric master.

• Thrall — A vampire under the effects of a blood bond, having drunk another Kindred’s blood thrice.

• Vitae — Blood.

• Whelp — A derogatory term for a young Kindred, originally used with exclusive reference to one’s own progeny.

• Wight — A vampire who has been overtaken by her Beast.

Vulgar
These terms are slang, associated with younger Kindred who seek to establish their own vampiric cultures.

• Banking — The practice of "withdrawing" blood from blood banks and hospital reserves.

• Blood Doll — A mortal who freely gives her blood to a vampire. Most blood dolls gain a perverse satisfaction from the Kiss, and actively seek out vampires who will take their vitae.

• Lick — A vampire; one of the race of Kindred.

• Rack, The — The public hunting ground of a domain, where mortals go missing all the time. These are often near bars, nightclubs, drug dens, and other bacchanalian locales.