Ventrue

There is a strong Ventrue tradition that any member of the line may find safe refuge with any other member of the line, and cannot be refused. Thus many Ventrue aid their fellow clan members before the need arises for this tradition to be invoked. Harboring a fugitive in one's haven can be detrimental to one's welfare.

They are very proud of their leadership of vampire society, and will always insist that they were the founders of the Camarilla. They will do nearly anything to retain their grip on the politics of the cities and the Camarilla, and are exceedingly protective of their reputations.

Nickname: Blue Bloods

Appearance: The Ventrue do not change their ways easily, so they often dress in very old-fashioned styles - lace and ruffles, top hats and evening coats. Younger members still dress very well - preppy would best describe it.

Haven: They tend to make their homes in mansions, often their mortal dwellings.

Background: Typically they select older and more experienced people as neonates, usually members of the upper class. Sometimes they will only Embrace their own mortal descendants.

Character Creation: Ventrue tend to have upper class concepts. Mental Attributes are primary, as are Knowledge Abilities. Resources and Influence are common Background Traits.

Clan Disciplines: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence

Weaknesses: Ventrue have exacting and rarefied tastes, even when it comes to blood. The player must pick a restriction on the type of blood her character can feed upon, e.g. only young men, no animals, only virgins, etc. The character will feed on no other type of blood, not even if she is starving or under duress.

Organization: Though the Ventrue clan meets often, their councils are sarcastically called "debating societies" because of the amount of talk and lack of action. The Ventrue consider this the only civilized way to get anything done.

Quote: "The best way to get even with one's enemies is to outlive them. Because we are reasonable and above such petty concerns as vengeance, we are the leaders among our kind. Our colleagues do little to support the Camarilla, so we must bear the burden alone."
VtM 3rd ed

Updated section from Guide to Camarilla

The Ventrue are the backbone of the Camarilla, the clan most firmly committed to the ideal of the sect. Perhaps this is because one of their own is given credit for first envisioning the Camarilla, perhaps it is because they honestly believe in the sect�s ultimate good, but the fact remains that the Ventrue are the clan whose identity is most firmly tied to the Camarilla�s. The Ventrue boast more princes than any other clan, and seem to take a special pleasure in organizing conclaves. Indeed, the Ventrue see participation in the Camarilla as a duty, and they are capable of going on at great lengths about it to other vampires whom they feel aren�t pulling their weight. Such Kindred usually retort with comments about the clan�s martyr complex, but the Ventrue take such slanders in stride. They know it is the lot of the noble to be unappreciated.

Always a clan of the aristocracy, the Ventrue these days are transitioning from Embracing the hereditary elite to enfolding the financial elite instead. The clan has always flocked to power, and in these modern nights the power is in the board room instead of the court. As a result, the Ventrue have become firmly enmeshed in speculative markets, industry and other financial arenas. They are well-aware of the power money has, and through their multitudinous mortal pawns they use that power exceedingly well. None of the other Camarilla clans can match the Ventme in this field; few even try anymore.

The Ventrue do admire breeding, and are among the most urbane, sophisticated and formal of the Kindred. The clan has a plethora of traditions and customs, most of which are utterly nonsensical to other Kindred, but which the Ventrue follow doggedly. Young Ventrue who question the wisdom of doing such tend to have the lessons beaten into them by their sires, who value directed initiative rather than independence. Despite the guise of gentility the clan adopts, the Ventrue capacity for cruelty and rapacity is boundless. They may be polite, but they are nonetheless vampires at the top of the power pyramid of the Kindred, no less. Kindness and other admirable qualities had nothing to do with getting them there; ruthless efficiency, burning ambition and tireless dedication did.

Strength and Influence:The Ventrue remain the most powerful clan in the Camarilla. Part of this derives from the fact that they are so much more intensely interested in the sect than their peers are, but part of it also derives from the drive to power that seems to be the clan�s unifying trait. In most Camarilla cities, the local power structure is riddled with Ventrue. Even those who don�t hold official titles have their fingers in some important mortal pie or other; stock exchanges, financial institutions, city hall and the like are common areas of Ventrue interest.

One of the products of this Ventrue stranglehold on the local hierarchy is that there is often little room for young Ventrue to ascend. They are kept in what amount to eternal apprenticeships to undying masters, and many grow restive under the yoke. As a result, there is a curious dichotomy in Ventrue behavior patterns; normally the most conservative and urban of vampires, the Ventrue also have a habit of seeing their younger clanmates flock into recently opened territories (physical, such as a city retaken from the Sabbat, or financial, a La a new industry rising to prominence) in hopes of staking new claims.

Organization: The Ventrue have an exceedingly formal clan organization, but that formality has a surprising degree of flexibility of response built into it. The leadership of the clan, sometimes referred to as the "Board of Directors," has approximately 30 members from all over the place, though the most important are in New York, London and Paris. Meetings of the Board are irregular but attendance is nighmandatory; with the power that the directors have at their command there�s little excuse for not being able to jet to a convocation of the Board from anywhere.

Less exalted Ventrue make due with a clan structure that seems equal part corporate entity and club. Each city with a Ventrue population hosts a clan headquarters, called a Board and frequently run out of either a gentlemen�s club or expensive office space. The Board also doubles as a corporation, and is the tool which the Ventrue exercise much of their financial control on the local level.

One of the Ventrue�s self-described strengths is the fact that everyone knows his place within the clan; all roles and chains of command are clearly and formally demarcated. Progress through the ranks is slow for younger Ventrue except in unusual circumstances; too much ambition or initiative is frowned upon by the clan elders.

Concerns: The Ventrue�s primary concern is the Camarilla, namely, how to keep it going in the wake of the defection by the Gangrel. While the Ventrue never had much use for the Gangrel, common opinion held that they were extremely useful in defending against the Sabbat. With them gone, the Camarilla stands weakened, and the Ventrue feel they must shoulder even more of the burden of supporting the sect. There is also worry over the successful Sabbat incursions on the east coast of North America, which the clan is trying to spread to the rest of the sect. Within the Camarilla, the clan�s greatest concern is the growing power of the Tremere, who seem poised within a few short decades to attempt to wrest command of the sect from the Ventrue. There�s also the usual fretting about increasing anarch activity, but most Ventrue tune this out as white noise. They�ve heard it all before, seen it come to naught and have no interest in hearing it now.

Practices and Customs: The formal practices of the Ventrue are too numerous (and in many cases, too nitpicky) to go into here; suffice it to say that they have a great many. There are customs for who gets to drink first, who speaks in which order at the Board, what sorts of clubs (gentlemen�s only; if there are none such, then often the alumni clubs of prestigious univerities are chosen as substitutes) can be used to house the Board, parties to celebrate Embrace dates and so on. Every move is circumscribed by tradition and precedent; innovation is smiled upon only so long as it doesn�t disrupt existing practice. The most essential custom of the Ventrue, however, is that of assistance. In all things, the clan comes first, and any Ventrue can come to the Board or to a clanmate for assistance. By long tradition, those Ventrue thus petitioned are obligated to come to their cianmate�s aid, regardless of personal risk or preference. A Ventrue who fails in this obligation loses face within the clan, and can expect no help from any of his clanmates should he request it.

When it comes to the Embrace, the Ventrue are exceedingly selective. Only the creme de la creme will do for the Blue Bloods, the best of the mortal, best in business, politics, the military and so on. Ventrue take care to instruct their childer in the ways of the Camarilla, seeing as someday it will be those neonates� duty to uphold the sect. Ventrue never really step too far away from their childer unless compelled by society or distance; the strong bonds between sire and child are part of what helps unify the clan.

The Ventrue meet on the first Tuesday of every month at the Board; attendance is mandatory, and those playing hooky find themselves fetched by the retainers of the �Chairman� (the local elder and head of the board, usually also a member of the primogen council). The meetings are called Directorate Assemblies, though older Ventrue insist on calling them by older names in French, Latin and Greek. Directorate Assemblies resemble nothing so much as mortal board meetings, with financial and political data providing the bulk of the conversation. The meetings are also used to regulate clan standing, with �promotions� and �demotions� coming in the form of public praise or scorn from the Chairman or membership on select committees.

Clan Prestige: Clan prestige is acquired by the Ventrue as a by-product of success. Successful acquisitions, business maneuvers, political coups or other activities that benefit the clan or the sect are rewarded with prestige, though it is common practice for as many Vertrue as possible to try to grab some of the credit for any activity that goes well. Activities that circumvent the bounds of normal clan behavior are regarded cautiously; if they succeed without denting the fortunes of other Ventrue, the instigators are lavishly rewarded, but if they fail or hurt the clan, the punishment is severe. Ventrue who don�t behave themselves properly also risk losing standing in the clan, as do their sires and childer. Blood and breeding will tell, after all.

The Mortal World: Of the Ventrue�s greatest strengths is the depth of their interaction with the mortal world. They dabble in mortal, political and financial institutions as reflexively as mortals breathe, and as a result have more influence among the living than do any of the other clans. While doing such occasionally puts the Masquerade at risk, it also gives the clan admirable resources. The Ventrue also have the most skilled, most highly placed and in general the most numerous ghouls of all the clans, and their expertise at using the mortal tools is one of the keys to the sect�s continued survival.

Within the clan itself, there is growing resentment against a perceived �old boys� network� of elders whom younger Ventrue see as denying them opportunities for advancement. The younger Ventrue also feel that the clan�s structure is inefficient, while the elders shake their heads over the impetuousness of youth and claim that their experience gives them the mandate to keep things just as they are.