House Armatage
"Beaut�, Humanit�, Noblesse Oblig�"
-Vampire: The Storytellers Handbook (First Edition). Page 62.
What follows is an OOC explanation of IC rules. These IC rules are the unspoken rules of the Camarilla; what follows is a guide to them. Unlike OOC game rules, these are not meant to be quoted at people; none of these rules are hard and fast. Rather, they are representative of the ancient protocols of the society of the undead formed the best part of 500 years ago. In this they reflect that world and what it stands for to this night.
The politics of the Camarilla, the ancient society of the Kindred, is one layered in growing circles. At the basic level is the interaction between individual Kindred within the context of members of a Clan living locally. At the highest level is the Jyhad of the ancients. Each level brings its own mysteries, danger and intrigue.
Imagine the society of the living dead; beings of immense power and age; drinking blood they have survived the centuries living in secret, hidden behind the veil that is the Masquerade. They are strong, fast, beautiful, immortal and deadly. And above all... you are one of them. You are Kindred; you drift through the neon lit streets like a shark... silent and terrifying. You are the top of the food-chain. Nothing can get to you.
Except your fellow Kindred of course- for there is always someone older, meaner and more deadly than you. And even if you stand as some ancient Elder, imperial in power and authority, there is something else MORE deadly that surrounds you. The society of the Undead. The very Camarilla itself.
Let us look at the Camarilla shall we? A society of Undead immortals, that has existed for several hundreds of years; it has witnessed the Reformation, the Age of Empires, and the overwhelming and rapid changes of the last 200 years, and it still remains. It is all persuasive and all powerful. And it is also cruel, harsh and ruthless.
This would be a society that has hundreds of years to develop; as Kindred don't age, don't 'pass away', they have years to continue and perpetuate the standards of behaviour that they held in their youth; existing in the dustless Elysium (Kindred don't shed skin; as a side effect many secret Elysiums tend not to get dusty), they have a shield against the changing world; they have protection from a society that twists and turns at a speed even the young have difficulty comprehending; your average neonate can understand how television spread around the world and changed the world in over a decade; but even they are shocked how the Internet has changed the world in half that time. Society twists and turns; yesterdays common word, becomes tomorrow's inflammatory racist comment; last nights scandal is acceptable conversation on tomorrow's children's television show.
And so they maintain in place their own codes; their own standards; their own rules. A society that is a gross reflection of themselves; a hybrid mixture of feudal tradition; age of enlightenment 'reform'; 18th Century conservatism, with a few smatterings of 16th Century Italian and German court politics. Reform is stifled; change is fought against; and new Kindred soon find that a single rule applies- follow the system or be killed.
And that system, complex, intricate and confusing as it is, full of pitfalls and silent traps, is there to bring down all Kindred; not even the Elders can escape it; no one can; no one is free; all are trapped, like insects in amber.
Welcome to the Camarilla, Lick!
Play hard, play smart, and don't forget... so much as wipe yourself with the wrong hand, and these cammies will have the Justicar down on you faster than a Brujah on acid.
IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION:
For the sake of story and campaign, it is assumed that these 'rules' have always existed, for as long as the Camarilla has. If these systems are new to your Campaign, then it assumed that the political climate has changed to have them reintroduced by the Elders and conservative elements of Kindred society. In Australia this would reflect the effects of the arrival of Justicar Markov; in the USA and Canada the impacts of the Oath Chapels and the hard line 'follow the Traditions' line taken by the new Tremere and Brujah Justicars.
This re-introduction of 'traditional values' is being called the 'Restoration' of the Camarilla by some; 'Renewal' by others; and the 'Backlash' by some of the younger Kindred.
At each level you must remember something new. If all the PC does is hang around with members of the Clan and rarely attends Elysium and court, then Clan level is ALL you need really. One visits court and gets involved in internal politics and such- Court level politics comes to mind (the most common level of politics and damn deadly); if you move up to interact with your Prince you may be reaching the Prince level of intrigue.
Understand that almost all IC interaction will take place at these levels. You may never need to move any higher than this. Good.
But higher levels do exist; the deadly games of politics Princes play between themselves (Symposium level politics), the intricate games of the Elders (faction level) and the simply deadly politics of Jyhad level. At each level, more things are added, more complexity and things become more deadly.
Read carefully, work out where your PC stands now, where
you would like to be, and try the system on for size.
Levels of Intrigue: Clan, Court, Prince, Symposium,
Faction, and Jyhad
In the past, before the Camarilla, Kindred were defined by their Clan and paid it more service - Clans were the only way to unite Kindred, to give them identity. As time has passed, especially since the advent of the Camarilla and the proliferation of multi-clan coteries, Clans have found their role subjugated in the face of the growth of the Sect. Certain elements of the past do remain, however, and one of these is the role of the Primogen.
The Primogen is the local head of a Camarilla Clan. While many Primogen are no more than pawns for local Elders, and some hold just token power within their Clan, Primogen are formally seen as the final power. Primogen have the ability to topple Princes, a fact that is not lost to the Princes themselves.
Primogen is a post that flies in the face of the Second Tradition, because Primogen can and have successfully questioned the Praxis of many a Prince. Indeed, the Primogen have toppled many a Prince. For many Elders, the post of Primogen acts as a legal and legitimate way to keep Princes in check.
As time has passed, the post has become widely accepted and now no one really bats an eye at the existence of a Primogen. The original role of the Primogen is now lost: some Primogen do indeed keep their Princes in check; others are only there because everyone else has them, and some are pawns to rubber stamp whatever the Prince decides.
Primogen members each receive the additional Status Trait: Revered when they join the Primogen. As long as the character remains one of the Primogen, she cannot lose this Trait permanently. Additionally, Primogen may grant or remove permanent Status Traits to or from any member of their own clan at a cost of one temporary Status Trait for each Trait granted or removed.
Around the 1750, a new precedent was created in terms of social interaction and responsibilities for Primogen. Princes sought to keep the Primogen busy by maintaining a series of rules upon Primogen. The most important rule is simple but deadly: It is assumed that a Primogen of a Clan speaks and acts for the entire Clan in a Domain.
Primogen are the living representatives of a Clan's power and meaning in the eyes of the Camarilla. Therefore, if the Nosferatu Primogen of a Domain is caught trying to overthrow the Prince, then the entire Clan in that Domain is assumed to be trying to overthrow the Prince - even if they knew nothing about it. If the Brujah Primogen of a Domain calls the Malkavians a "bunch of traitors to the Camarilla" then it is assumed that all Brujah in that Domain think the same thing.
This can lead to those under the jurisdiction of the Primogen getting it in the neck for the actions of their Primogen. This is intentional. It keeps the Clans on their toes watching their Primogen and keeps Primogen worried about how their Clan will react. In cases where a Primogen upsets a Prince (not necessarily breaking a law, just angering or defying him) it is standard for the Clan to be punished. If the Primogen broke the law or the Traditions as well as upsetting the Prince - again, the Clan can also be punished. A Clan should know what their Primogen is thinking and doing at all times. If not, they may find themselves reduced in Status, their havens burned to the ground, and facing charges of treason, all because their Primogen said the wrong thing at the wrong time...
Whips have the same powers as the Primogen to grant or remove a permanent Status Trait at a cost of one temporary Status Trait each. A Whip does not suffer from the constraints placed upon the Primogen in terms of speaking. They do not gain an additional Status Trait, and their powers may be revoked at any time by the Primogen of their clan.
Whips occupy a strange position within the Camarilla: They are recognized as a Camarilla post, yet they carry no Status. In many ways they are a Clan position, but their power is limited to a Camarilla setting. Usually they are very loyal to the Primogen, but it has been known for Whips to use their power to undermine and topple Primogen. Whip is sometimes seen as the first step on the ladder up the slippery slope to power.
The Whip is usually the Primogen's designated successor, and a Whip only exists if the Primogen of a given Domain decrees that they will have one.
Primogen are chosen any way each Clan decides - the Brujah choose theirs differently from the Tremere. For example, it is a common practice among Tremere for the Regent to decide that one of their apprentices is Primogen. Thus, the Primogen seems to be the main Tremere locally while the real power is hidden. Each way is valid and accepted: the Camarilla does not care how a Primogen is chosen, only that if a Primogen post exists that the Clan chooses it. And each Prince must accept the Primogen come what may.
This being said, the Prince can call for a new Primogen Council. This is a bit like calling for a general election in the middle of a powerful political controversy... once the Prince calls for a new Council to be chosen, no Primogen business can be dealt with as all seven Primogen positions must be contested. While this process is being done, the Primogen cannot decide anything until the whole thing is sorted. This is seen as a good delaying tactic for certain Princes and also perhaps the only way a Prince can have a political rival removed from office.
No Prince can pick on one Clan to re-choose their Primogen; they must choose all or none at all. This can lead to those Primogen who support the Prince to rebel against him: In an attempt to undermine one rival, the Prince is now holding up all the Primogen to re-election. It is a double-edged sword.
A Prince can only issue this call for a new Primogen once every three months. This process was once called the "Call of the Seasons," and originated in northern Italy around the 1620s. Certain Princes, in an attempt to keep their Primogen unsettled, would call for a new Primogen council on the first evening of each new season. While that practice has stopped, it is still referred to by this name.
The ultimate power of the Prince is to dissolve the Primogen Council- they then rule without a Primogen and get on with it. This is completely legal; there is no need for a Primogen Council. Princes can rule as they see fit.
Once a Prince accepts the existence of a Primogen Council, he is also giving up some of his power. With this in mind, many Princes decide not to have any Primogen. This is a dangerous strategy, because a Prince without Primogen will often find themselves isolated and faced with increased dissent to their reign. Indeed, Princes who dissolve their Primogen usually find that they do not remain in power very long unless they are powerful and old indeed.
The differences in this role from Domain to Domain depend on the differences in the Princes laws. For example, many modern Princes have no more than the Traditions as their laws; the laws of the ancient city of York, however, run into three pages which regulating meeting times, feeding grounds, dress codes, etc. Each Prince is free to make his own Laws as he sees fit - the Sheriff simply enforces them. Usually ruthlessly.
Sheriff's often fall into two camps with two differing mindsets. The first are the Idealist Sheriffs. These are men and women who uphold the law and seek justice for all. They are in the minority. The majority of Sheriffs have been chosen by a Prince to enforce their laws, come what may. In Domains where Anarchs are bloodhunted, for example, Sheriffs usually lead the fight.
For many reasons, Sheriffs are usually perceived as the most loyal of the Princes followers - indeed, many are thralled to their Prince. Others retain position as several Princes come and go. Arguably the greatest of all Sheriffs, and indeed the first Kindred to hold such a title, was Kett, "The Black Death". A Brujah of the 7th generation, he was "Sheriff of the Lands of London" for 600 years, seeing Princes come and go.
A Sheriff takes orders solely from the Prince, although the Prince's Seneschal may also give a Sheriff orders. Since they represent their Clans, a Sheriff will follow "suggestions" offered by the Primogen of a given Domain. If a Sheriff openly defies a Primogen, he may find the Primogen having a quiet word with the Harpies... and not even the Sheriff is immune to the Harpies' powers.
The Sheriff gains the additional Status Trait: Feared when he attains the position. While he remains Sheriff, he cannot permanently lose this Trait.
The Sheriff may demand that any Kindred within the city accompany him for questioning or judgement. Failure to do so causes the offender to lose one permanent Status Trait. It may also lead to the offender being arrested on suspicion. Suspicion of what is left for the Sheriff to make up.
As will be described in the section below (Justice), the Sheriff is also expected to punish those who break the Prince's laws. It is expected that all loyal Kindred will aid a Sheriff, so if the Sheriff tries to arrest a suspect and the suspect attacks the Sheriff, it is expected that all Kindred shall rush to the Sheriff's aid. That they don't always do so is a given... as is the fact that if the Sheriff survives they may ask the Kindred in for questioning at some later date.
Some Harpies feel that to help a Sheriff suggest they can't do their job... there is no set rule for this thing.
The Sheriff is immune to the powers of the Keeper of Elysium -- those conferred by the position, that is; he must still honor the Traditions.
The Sheriff may sponsor deputies by giving another Kindred a Status Trait of his own. These deputies have the same powers as the Sheriff, but the Sheriff may revoke their authority at any time.
Elysium is the only place where Kindred may meet together on civilized terms. Thus, violence is banned. With the threat of violence removed from Kindred society, Kindred can freely gather and commune. If Elysium falls, so does the very principal that upholds Kindred society.
This concept is often overlooked: Several Princes and Elders have insisted that Elysium is no more than a social convention. In saying this they are not lying: It is a social convention, but that does not dismiss it. The entire Camarilla is a social convention. Elysium's power lies in its veneration. Many, including several Justicars, believe that Elysia must be enforced as absolutes. That is, if a member of the Sabbat walks into the room and someone attacks him, the attacker is the criminal. Once someone breaks the Elysium, though, everyone else can then do whatever is required to end the violence - usually by killing or incapacitating the offender.
This, then, is the role of Keeper of Elysium. If a Prince does not believe that Elysia are all, then they do not have a Keeper of Elysium. It is a simple as that. The moment a Prince creates this post, he is clearly saying that he will uphold Elysium come what may and tolerate no violence by any, not even himself. It is this fact that leads to many visiting Kindred to ask, upon arrival at a given Domain, to meet with the Keeper of Elysium. If there is none then it means that the Elysium is not safe; many will then leave as quickly as they arrived at this point.
The Keeper also holds other duties. While some just maintain the Elysia, some are more hosts than enforcers, working very closely with the Harpies and making Elysium a more splendid place for Kindred to meet. This has led to certain Keepers being called "Harpies with swords."
The scale and scope of Elysium depends on the Prince and the Keeper. Certain Elysia ban any and all weapons -- the very idea of bringing a weapon to them denotes a willingness to break the Elysium, which brings the offender under the Keeper's power. Others allow weapons but ban their use. Some Princes view offensive discipline use as a break of the Elysium: A few Princes have made the use of Dominate to be an offensive act and punishable by the Keeper.
How any given Elysium is enforced depends upon the Elder, Keeper, or Prince in charge. Indeed, in any single city there may be several grades of Elysium. If this is so, it falls upon the Keeper to make sure Kindred know the rules. If a Kindred is killed because she went to the wrong Elysium gathering and acted in a way that is not acceptable there but is elsewhere... it is the Keeper who is held responsible, usually forfeiting his own life. This failure to keep Kindred up to date is one of the most negative things about this job... and indeed has led to many Keepers only taking the post provided the Prince edicts that all Elysia are to be held at a certain standard. If there are grades of Elysium, it means more for the Keeper to learn (especially true for a new Keeper), and thus leaves more chances for the Keeper to make a mistake. One grade of Elysium, one standard applied across the Domain, is something all Keepers fervently wish for.
There is also an older tradition that dates back to the earliest nights of the post of Keeper of Elysium: The Keeper reports to the Justicars. This is not a duty in any formal sense, but if they cannot enforce Elysium because a Kindred is too powerful, then in the name of Keeping the Elysium they sometimes send letters to the Archons reporting Kindred for their crimes.
It is expected that Kindred will aid a Keeper of Elysium if he is enforcing Elysium. The Sheriff is also expected to aid the Keeper in his duties if need be.
The Keeper of Elysium gains the additional Status Trait: Honorable on attaining the office. As long as the character remains the Keeper, he cannot lose this Trait permanently. The Keeper may immediately remove one permanent Status Trait from any Kindred he catches breaking the Masquerade. If he does not witness it himself, sufficient evidence must be brought forth. This removal costs the Keeper nothing. This is merely the usual punishment for minor characters and a minor breach; the more important the Kindred or the larger the breach, the larger the punishment.
The duties of a Scourge are fairly simple... The Scourge can harass, detain or destroy without penalty any Kindred that have been created without permission from the Prince, or who have not been presented formally to the Prince. They are the population control of the Prince, and they have license to kill. This punishment also applies to the Sire of any Kindred so created.
If the Scourge discovers another character harboring or abetting vampires created without the Prince's permission or who have not been presented formally, he may remove a permanent Status Trait from that character immediately. This removal costs the Scourge nothing, but he must present sufficient evidence of the crime to the Prince. Should the Prince find the evidence insufficient or be unconvinced of the crime, he may return the stripped Status to the character.
The Scourge gains the additional Status Trait: Feared when he attains the position. While he remains Scourge, he cannot permanently lose this Trait.
The leader of the Harpies in a given Domain (often called Chief Harpy) is in the same position as Primogen -- he speaks for all Harpies. However, if a Chief Harpy says something controversial, and if the other Harpies back him, it matters not what is said. If the Harpies are united against a Kindred for the way she acts, then she is damned.
The leader of the Harpies receives the additional Status Trait: Influential upon attaining the position. As long as the character remains the leader, he cannot lose this Trait permanently.
The Chief Harpy automatically gets one temporary Status Trait from each member of the Primogen, who bestow these Status Traits to demonstrate their support of the Harpies. The Harpy, in turn, may use these Traits however she desires, even against the owner.
The Chief Harpy may remove one permanent Status Trait from a Kindred who has backed out of a Boon or is part of a major scandal. There is no cost for doing so, although there must be a grain of truth to the scandal. The Harpy must produce some sort of evidence at a gathering of Kindred, at which time the Status Trait is removed. This is the minimum punishment (usually for a small Boon). The more important the Boon or the Kindred involved, the greater the punishment. The highest Price for failing to recognize Boons is described below and is indeed VERY dangerous.
The Chief Harpy may restore Status he has removed at a cost of one temporary Trait per Trait removed.
The leader of the Harpies may sponsor lesser Harpies by giving another Kindred a Status Trait of his own. Lesser Harpies may remove temporary Status just as the head Harpy removes permanent Status, although their leader may choose to make such loss permanent. Lesser Harpies do not need the Status to hold position- all it takes is recognition of being Harpies and agreement to maintain the standards of the post, and they are Harpies.
A Harpy is often the easiest post for young Kindred to attain- indeed; it is the one way young Kindred can judge their elders and betters. The Harpies are by nature conservative- because any new change in Kindred society means two things- one, that there become more rules to learn and protocols to follow (and heaven help us there are enough already) and two, change leads to a potential undermining of their authority. Remember these rules of protocol give power to the Harpies- perhaps the only power any will receive. Anything that can undermine this power is dangerous to the Harpies. It was once said that in some Domains that everyone was a Harpy who was not Primogen. This is indeed a prudent move.
One of the main purposes of these protocols is to give Harpies a framework in which to utilize this power. For a Harpy player, these rules give a frame of reference by which you can judge everyone. Usually it is Harpy players who learn these rules by heart and who then can judge everyone they see.
An interesting use of Seneschals has been when the Domain in question is too large or the Prince does not want to be involved in the night to night running of said Domain (usually popular with Elder Princes). If this is the case, the Seneschal becomes much like a first minister- indeed, legitimate other titles for Seneschal include "First Minister", "Chamberlain," "Chancellor," and "Crown Prince." (This last one fell out of fashion some centuries ago.)
The Seneschal gains the following two additional Status Traits: Cherished and Esteemed. The character can never lose these Traits permanently while remaining Seneschal.
The Seneschal can act in the Prince's stead when the Prince is out of the city. He is therefore entitled to all of the powers of the Prince, although the Prince may reverse or revoke them at any time.
There is an unwritten agreement among all Kindred that if any Seneschal attempts to seize Praxis, it a natural succession. They will not aid their Prince in such an event. Certainly no Prince has ever punished a Kindred for not aiding him against his Seneschal. It goes with the territory -- if one has a Seneschal one must accept the risk.
But... Princes have to make sure they NEVER break any law or protocol. Why? They are the big fish, and as such they get treated a lot more brutally than the little fish. If two Kindred commit the same crime: one, a neonate is staked and tortured and then released... the other is slowly and savagely killed. Why? Because the second Kindred is a Prince and should know better! Princes are judged by two groups: the Justicars, and their peers.
The Prince of a city automatically gains three additional Status Traits: Exalted, Well-Known, and Famous. He can never lose these Traits permanently while remaining Prince.
The Prince can remove one permanent Status Trait from someone at a cost of one temporary Status Trait per Trait removed. The Prince is the only Kindred who can remove the Trait Acknowledged, which is a virtual sentence of death.
The Prince can grant permanent Status Traits to any Kindred at a cost of one temporary Trait for each Trait awarded. The Prince (and only the Prince) may thus break the rule of only gaining one Status Trait per story, allowing a character to gain more than one Trait. If a Prince wishes to confer more than three permanent Status Traits on another Kindred in a single session, the fourth and subsequent Traits will cost the Prince permanent Status instead of temporary Traits. It does not cost the Prince temporary Status to award a Kindred the first Status Trait when she is first Presented. The Trait: Acknowledged is conferred automatically as long as the Prince chooses to recognize the neonate. This leads to an important clarification- Kindred upon entering a new city are usually Acknowledged by the Prince there- this kind is a formal acceptance that you have entered a Princes Domain and are accepted. The other Acknowledged is the one a Kindred receives which marks them as a respected member of Kindred society.
Princes have the right to call Bloodhunts upon any, but these are dangerous things.
In terms of game play, Symposiums have jurisdiction over the regions they are called in. In the UK, a Symposium (which goes under the name the Council of Princes) covers the entire nation and in the past covered Ireland as well. In the United States, a Symposium in the Pacific Northwest would cover only the Northwest of the nation. The borders are the OOC regions of the US -- this rule was implemented due to OOC game size. Truly national Symposiums in the US are only ever convened at national events such as Conclaves. It has been noted in the past that occasionally Prince will wait until Justicars call a Conclave and then call a national Symposium, which has the added effect of stealing the Justicars' thunder and sending out a clear message as to who rules the Camarilla.
An interesting side effect of this is that if a Prince from a different nation or region wishes to attend another nation's or region's Symposium they can. If they wish to take part then they consent to stand by the rulings of that Symposium come what may. For example, a Prince from Germany taking part in a Symposium in Ireland agrees to stand by the rules dictated there; for definition's sake, taking part is the process of voting on any issue. One may speak freely and not take part -- the act of casting a vote is all that matters.
It is still possible to influence Symposiums elsewhere in the nation outside your region, but this is covered in the faction level material.
It is at the Symposium gatherings that differences are settled, old scores paid off, complaints heard, common policy agreed upon... in short, it is the way that Princes get to interact, back-stab and generally have fun at each other's expense.
Hopefully, this will create a situation of instability and upset and the Prince will be forced to make it up to the other Princes before some sneaky resident decides to topple the Prince, which is now MUCH easier to do.
Motions of Bad Standing and the Symposiums where they are discussed are the main IC way the Campaign is policed. It places the moderation of the society in the hands of the PCs. Henceforth, if a Prince is faced with a nearby Domain which harbors (or seems to harbor) rogue Tremere, diablerists, and criminals of all makes and is unhappy with this, he no longer bothers the STs about it. The Prince simply reacts IC- he calls a Symposium and places a Motion of Bad Standing against the fellow Prince. If enough Princes agree then the Kindred of that Domain shall suffer until either the Prince or someone else within that Domain sorts out the problem once and for all. All interaction is now regulated IC.
What is acceptable IC behavior? That is for the Princes to decide. These Protocols do give a hint as to how it goes.
Be also aware that democratically elected Princes may face Motions. Those who are elected send out a clear signal that a Prince can only rule with a mandate of the people. For Vampiric masters of eternity, this idea is dangerous: Praxis is not given by the other Kindred, it is divine right. In certain nations democracy is illegal among the Kindred. In the UK, for example, Princes who claim their power democratically are bloodhunted. In short, a good Prince is one who upholds the Status quo -- does not rock the boat, maintains a strong Praxis and works with fellow Princes to enforce stability and security. To do anything else is leaving yourself open to a Motion of Bad Standing.
The main problem with Motions of Bad Standing is that if you call one and it fails you automatically have one brought against you. This has led the ancient concept of Tribunals, the earliest form of Symposiums, to be revived in the last few hundred years. Tribunals sort out disagreements that do not come under a Motion of Bad Standing, such as when two Princes acting correctly but are in conflict with each other.
The two Princes lead delegations of their own, and there follows an open ten minutes where the two sides present their cases (This limit of ten minutes was instated after the Tribunal between Milan and Pisa in 1863 which lasted 7 weeks!). During that ten minutes, each side tries to get as much information across as possible. There is frequent heckling whenever someone starts talking too long, and several Princes have been known to trade insults over who has the right to speak -- much to the amusement of the spectators. After the ten minutes are over the three Princes judging the case confide in each other for a few minutes and then decide who has won.
The ten minute rule has sometimes meant that more clued-up Princes have made sure that all their evidence is presented before the Tribunal and just used the ten minutes to trade insults!
The Tribunal's decision, if it is based upon political issues or behavioral issues, is final. If it is based upon a legal issue, the losing Prince may appeal to the Justicar (This is not a good idea, honestly!).
Remember that a Tribunal is NOT a trial. It is not a legal system. Common offenders may not go to trial at a Tribunal. A Tribunal is no more than a way of having two Domains sort out their rows without the need to go to war. If the matter is serious enough, the judging Princes may decree that a Motion of Bad Standing be brought against the losing Prince. The motion is treated like any of the automatic cases presented above, except that if it fails no one receives come back for it.
Since any Prince can call a Symposium with two months' (8 weeks') notice, and since several Princes may wish to call a Symposium at once, it generally transpires that things quickly develop into the next level of intrigue.
Its origins lie in the fact that, during a Symposium, the Princes would be hidden away in a separate room discussing the affairs of the Symposium, leaving everyone else in the meeting building effectively without a chaperone. The Royal Harpy is, on the night of a Symposium, effectively the Prince for the event.
At the beginning of the Symposium, any that wish to petition the Symposium to be Royal Harpy make their petitions known to the Princes. The Princes then vote on who should hold the title. Each Prince gives the winner one point of temporary Status for the evening. There is no limit on the Status a Royal Harpy may hold -- for an evening it is possible for a neonate who is chosen to have words of Status from over 20 Princes. For that night even Justicars mind themselves around a Royal Harpy. They now have the power to act as a Chief Harpy of a Domain- they can give and take Status from anyone.
Perhaps most importantly, a Royal Harpy can remove Acknowledged from a Kindred. This is what makes them so terrible: Under rules of precedent and under the Traditions themselves, ONLY those who are Prince may make a Kindred un-Acknowledged To go without this recognition is to say that: you are a non-citizen of the Camarilla; that you have stepped beyond the pale of society; you may be killed at any time; you have no legal recourse; you have no recognition. You are, frankly, worm food. Other Harpies cannot do this. They cannot remove the most base of words from a Kindred. They cannot because to do so brings them close to usurping the Sixth Tradition, Destruction.
The Royal Harpy may freely remove more than one Status trait from any Kindred (Additional ones cost a temporary Status trait.). He has the power to even reduce a Justicar in Status -- so great is the Status of a Royal Harpy. It must be said that doing this can lead the Justicar to simply arrest the Royal Harpy for "attacking the Justicar" and the Royal Harpy enters a world of pain!
Everything comes with a price; the Royal Harpy is no different. If at any time they overstep the mark, the Symposium may remove their support from the Royal Harpy- leaving him crippled and at the mercy of those whom he has angered. Added to this, the position lasts ONLY for the night of the Symposium; after which the Harpy may find himself on the receiving end of those he annoyed. Finally, Royal Harpies can only pass judgements on these rules. Royal Harpies are no more than maintainers of the Status quo -- they do not use their power to move against an enemy or to destroy a foe. Rather, they use their power to judge all. Whenever a Royal Harpy is summoned, one is aware of the power of that Elysium; when one is called, you know all Kindred are now aware of the importance of abiding by these rules.
There is no requirement of a Symposium to elect a Royal Harpy, and many do not. After a Royal Harpy is given the post they may, with the Prince's permission, retain said title without any of the benefits and Status until the next regional/national Symposium. The Royal Harpy of Albion, for example, is elected yearly at the National Assembly of the Kindred of Great Britain. If they do not retain the title, many include it in their titles- to have once been a Royal Harpy shows you as a Kindred with who respect should be given.
The only bans on the position of Royal Harpy are: no Prince may be Royal Harpy and no Clan Head may be Royal Harpy.
There are no rules governing a faction -- they come together or fall apart based on IC play -- but it is no more than an IC grouping of Princes who vote the same way. If the faction is large enough it gives real power to the Prince: One Prince carries one vote, but if he is part of a block of 15 Princes this carries with it one heck of a political punch.
Factions can be organized on geographic terms. The best example of this was the Pax Londinium and the Pax Celtica of Scotland. Under these alliances, Princes in geographic areas (in the Pax Londinium�s case, seven Princes based near London; in the Pax Celtica�s case, the collective Princes of Scotland) would cast their vote en masse. Others are based on other reasons; the �Court of Lilith� was a loose alliance of female Princes who banded together in the face of the rampant sexism prevalent among male Princes who predate the 20th Century.
Political factions are also based upon Princes� viewpoints towards the society of the Kindred. Many younger Princes like to band together to form a moderate camp, while many older Princes form a more conservative. So be it. As stated before, creating, joining, and leaving factions is the heart blood of a Prince�s life outside of running his own Domain. On occasion, certain Factions take it upon themselves to formalize their relationship with treaties (thus preventing betrayal) or, on rare occasions, open integration. More on this shall be covered in the section �Imperial Princes�.
What must be stressed is that in the United States, with the vast size of the campaign, regional factions (based around regional campaigns) shall be the first to be formed and also the weakest. The truly important factions shall be those that transcend barriers and allow an alliance of Princes and Elders come together across the vast nation. The true measure of a faction is not whether they can influence a Symposium in their region but if they are powerful enough to influence Symposiums in other Regions! Obviously, factions that cross international boundaries are exceptionally powerful and rightly feared.
Thus it is with many a Symposium: the Elders are seen hovering about outside the meeting making sure their Princes make the correct decision. It is known that many factions seek Elder backing informally, giving them more weight. (Elders will be able to use their influence within a Clan to influence a Prince in a different faction but of the same Clan.) It is here that the Elders make their presence in terms of Camarilla politics most felt. By concentrating on the Princes, Elders who do not hold Praxis become more important. It allows them influence the decision making process of the Camarilla all the easier -- this is intentional. The whole Symposium arrangement, ostensibly there to allow Princes exercise their political power, is also designed to allow Elders to increase theirs with minimal effort. Why travel around the nation influencing Princes when you can have your Prince summon them all to you?
The main purpose of a Clan Head is to watch Princes and make sure that they do NOT erode the rights of the Clans. If a Prince decides to make a Primogen of all Clans except the Malkavian, the designated Malkavian Clan Head can then begin to put pressure upon the Prince to allow them have a say. Clan Heads are often called �The Primogen�s Primogen� for this reason.
All told, Clan head is a position that many Kindred would avoid. Clan Heads play perhaps the most dangerous game of all. They have little in the way of direct authority but instead affect change through personal charisma and political dealings. As the Primogen speak for a Clan in a Domain, each Clan Head speaks for his or her ENTIRE Clan in the country. They have got to be careful about how they act and what they say and do! They could say something in one part of the country, only to find that members of their Clan are punished for it in another part of the country. The Clan Head answers to their Clan�s Primogen, so it is up to the Primogen and the Princes of the Clan to make sure they all know what the Clan Head is up to.
If the Clan Head is convicted of a crime the entire Clan suffers. For this reason, many Clan Heads are often no more than puppets for the real powers, chosen for their ability to speak well and not break Traditions.
There is no necessity to have a PC Clan Head, and as the IC Clan Head is a Camarilla post -- they are more like clan speakers. Clan Heads are selected and removed by their own Clan, in whatever way the Clan sees fit. Most Clans in the US have, however, forsaken this post in favor of the more individualistic leanings of the continent which havens them.
Imagine three Princes whose Domains are close to each other. For whatever reason, they decide to unite the Domains under a single Prince. That Prince gains no extra Status, but can now call himself an Imperial Prince -- this sends out a very big message. An Imperial Prince is one who has increased his Domain at the expense of others - it either means he is very charismatic or very powerful. Just the title Imperial Prince carries with it weight and gravity. In this regard, the most powerful Imperial Prince in the world must be Villon, Prince of All France- all Kindred within that nation come under His Praxis.
When Domains combine, several new positions are created. The first and most important is the position of Duke/Duchess. This title is often given to the former Prince of a part of the larger Domain or a trusted underling of the Imperial Prince. The Dukes can have the same powers as a Seneschal but exercise those powers in the name of the Prince; or they can be nothing more than a title. Either way, Dukes and the Duchies they control are extensions of the Imperial Domain and thus come under some specific rules:
The players here play a subtle game- one that takes years to play. New players are looked on in a mix of amusement and contempt. If they don�t follow the unwritten rules -- which are never explained -- then they can expect to die very quickly.
The golden rule is this: travel to another Domain and you are under that Domains rules and laws. Taking things into you own hands is bad, bad, BAD! If you travel to another Domain and break the laws of that Domain, for whatever reason, you are to blame. Always. Even if you just discovered that someone is a diablerist who killed your mother, the moment you take the law into your own hands for anything other than immediate self-defense, you�re the criminal.
If you visit another Domain, make sure you know the laws. Ignorance is no defense.
Remember, all visitors reflect upon the Prince of their Domain. Sometimes visiting players cause uproar in a game, only to return and say, �We think we did nothing wrong, so what do we care?� That won�t hold water any more. If you upset the locals, the problem now falls to your Prince. Unless the Prince deals with it, it could become a very serious matter. If you go elsewhere and break the rules, you bring shame upon your Prince. Your Prince may love you or may hate you, but the moment you mess up you get the blame� and so do they!
The Prince of the Domain could just look to your Prince to punish you when you get home. On the other hand, a good Prince doesn�t want his fellow Princes to suffer under the shame of such a criminal, now does he? (Insert fake smile.) So� maybe he should just execute you then and there to spare his fellow Prince...
Examine the following example, utilizing the protocols described above:
The Residents of Domain A turn up at Domain B and cause trouble and upset the locals. The Prince of Domain B can�t kill them because they are too powerful and would slay him if he tried, so the Prince of Domain B decides to complain formally to the Prince of Domain A. The Prince of Domain A had better punish the visitors who caused the trouble. If he doesn�t, a few months later Domain A gets into Bad Standing for the Prince�s failing to do his job.
But imagine if the Prince of Domain A either doesn�t want to punish them or maybe is too politically weak to punish them. What is there to do? A clever Prince simply orders the Primogen to deal with the members of the Clan. Having done that, he can turn to Prince B and say �Well, I�ve done my duty!� and it becomes the Primogen problem. If the Primogen then doesn�t act, Prince A can either complain to the Primogen�s Clan Head or punish the Primogen (�Yes, I know you love your Primogen, but he�s dying so you can live... it�s your fault I�m afraid!�)
This removes violence and the threat of violence from game interaction. The Camarilla is not just built upon the military strength of it�s forces; if this was so the Sabbat would have won a long time ago; its power lies in its hegemony, the society it has. As one famous Anarch was heard to comment: �You kill a Prince, another takes her place; you burn a Primogen they simply get another... how can you defeat that?�
When travelling, Kindred have to remember that they are going somewhere which may not work under these rules. Now if he is lucky it is a civilized Domain where the rules of protocol are easily understood and known to all. Kindred who travel to these Domains will automatically band together to enforce these rules. They provide a constant; they give stability and security. a Kindred who goes to a Domain which operates under these rules knows that any Elysium shall be a safe Elysium, that Primogen will be careful what they say, that the young who speak out of term will be punished by their Primogen or else the Primogen loses face, that the Prince will be respectful or else lose face with his precious new-found allies; that everyone will think carefully before they open their mouths and where the Harpies watch all. This is a society where Status, Boons, station and all things have due order and place -- a safe Kindred society.
Anything that comes in to attack this society is a threat that must be destroyed; if one Domain falls to the bestial nature then all could. Thus they band together.
If they discover a Domain that does not operate under these protocols, they simply moan to their Princes of the danger this poses. If enough do, the Princes may act and a Motion of Bad Standing could be brought against that Domain. Thus, the natural conservatism of the protocols spreads.
-Storyteller�s Handbook, First Edition. Page 66.
Boons are the currency of the Kindred. If no one owes you a Boon, then you are broke. Remember that. Boons are how the society works. If we look OOC at the campaign around us, we notice a situation where younger and weaker Kindred outnumber older more powerful ones three to one if not more. So how do the older Kindred keep everyone under control? Boons.
Boons are all. They are the single most important way the Camarilla is run. They are the only way a younger Kindred can rise in power. There is no such thing as a favor among the Kindred, there is only Boons.
Boons allow you do things. You can ask an Elder something; but they can refuse; if they owe you a Boon, you can force them to do it. There are other options... you could always do it yourself. No doubt this means you have a hugely powerful PC who has a sheet that is twice the size of the Justicar�s and could take on Caine in a straight fight. Good for you... now please leave! The Camarilla is designed so that everyone needs to do deals. Boons are the currency of the Cainites.
Unless you tell someone about your Boon it doesn�t exist. Boons have to be registered, and the natural people to keep track of Boons are the Harpies. Harpies need to keep records of everyone�s Boons. Several Harpies do so formally -- it is said the Chief Harpy of Dublin carries a large book into which is added each Boon between every resident of that city. Sometimes there is no suitable Harpy to do such a thing- at times like these the Followers of Set are more than happy to offer their services (for a trivial Boon, of course!).
In certain cases, clever Kindred do not register their Boons with their own Harpy, but rather with Harpies outside their Domain. This way, no one knows who has a record of who owes whom. Another way to register Boons is to have it publicly announced; if it is publicly announced to and by the Harpy, the Boon is registered. Only in the case of secret deals does writing it down become important. A few enterprising Kindred merely write down the Boon and get the Boon giver to sign it along with a witness. The importance of making sure a record of the Boon exists cannot be underestimated. If there is no record of the Boon there is nothing to make other Kindred uphold it.
This leads into the nastiest part of all this... not keeping a promise. Failing to respond to a Boon is a really bad thing. If someone is discovered to have defaulted then they get it in the neck. They are undermining the currency of the Camarilla - all it takes is for many to do this and Boons become worthless.
Those who do face a harsh IC penalty- immediately they are considered to have lost all their Status; they should be ostracized, exile from their home Domain is to be considered a good thing. Their assets and goods are free to be seized by any Kindred: their Ghouls, their Influences, their money -- all of it is open to be taken. Some old-fashioned Princes may even use this as an excuse to have them Bloodhunted. It�s that�s nasty and that simple. If you owe, you had better pay... or else you lose EVERYTHING.
Primogen who refuse their debts are automatically assumed to be representing their entire Clans locally. Princes will suffer an automatic motion of Bad Standing that does not require a Symposium to ratify. If a Prince defaults and is publicly announced to have defaulted, the Bad Standing is automatically assumed to have passed. On the other hand, if the Prince has been lied about and it is proven that they where lied about, then the one who brought the allegation- another Prince, suffers the same fate! Clan Heads are judged the same way, with the added effect of the entire Clan receiving the same punishment.
There is a weakness here: Someone could say someone else has defaulted when they haven�t. That is called false witness. Bring false witness against someone and you are killed� simple as that... no appeal, no bloodhunt. Everyone knows you brought false witness, and they know you have to die In order to prevent false witness from ever happening, it has led to both parties making damn sure that either the Boons are announced or that both are there when it is recorded.
Let�s get things into some kind of scale. 95% of Boons should be between levels one to three (trivial, minor and major Boons). Rank Four (blood) Boons should be RARE! As for Life Boons... Life Boons should be like diamonds. When you have a Life Boon, you own someone. It�s not nice! With a life Boon you can have a Kindred do anything you want; they must do it unless they somehow save your life... which won�t happen, as you are now making them take all the risks..
If the Clan Head of the Ventrue ends up owing a Life Boon to someone, it puts the Ventrue into a very difficult position. That person can make the Clan Head do anything he wants -- even betray his Clan -- and the Ventrue HAVE to live with it. If the Clan Head ignores the Boon... that would be worse. The prudent response would be to get a new Clan Head. The old one has fallen out of favor.
The best thing about holding a Court position is that it automatically allows you collect Boons. If a Primogen has a Clan Member who wishes to petition a Prince, he may charge them a Boon. All those stuff and nonsense about Clan Loyalty can only go so far -- consider the argument that members of a Clan should not charge each other Boons a bit like saying no American should pay another American any wages because they are working in the same country. Boons are currency, and a Kindred must make a living!
Princes have the best position of all. Acknowledging a Kindred is the only duty they do for free; after that everything comes with a price. Someone wants to Sire? That�s a Boon. Someone wants to establish a new haven in another part of town? Boon. Someone wants to be Sheriff but not be thralled? Boon. A non-Camarilla Kindred wants to live in your Domain? Yes, you guessed it, a Boon. This way Princes collect many Boons -- they either use them to prevent Praxis seizures or they allow someone else take over and quietly run things from the shadows. If the Prince doesn�t charge Boons -- guess what? He�s WEAK. A Prince without Boons, is a rich man without money. They look the part but have no power to back it up.
An important clarification: When a Prince asks you to do something, he can get out of it being a Boon by saying it is to do with the security of the Domain. A Domain is a Prince�s concern, so it can be said that asking for a Boon can be seen as undermining the Princes right to rule... which is not a good thing. One can only charge a Boon to the Prince if you are doing a personal favor.
Also, the Justicar and the Archons never do Boons. They are above Boons. They don�t do favors. They do their duty. They don�t accept favors. If you help them it is because if you don�t they get to hurt you. Lots. And then some. Justicars and Archons don�t need Boons. They have might and the entire Camarilla backing them up. Archons tend to have more leeway to bargain and deal on a personal level, but they also can always take the same approach that a Prince has, they can get out of it by saying that it has to do with the security of the Sect of the sanctity of a Tradition.
By taking this Boon I understand that...
Many would respond by reading the above and shaking their head and saying �I am not ever gonna owe ANYONE a Boon�. Many Princes and Primogen fear such characters, and not owing a Boon can be seen as a disadvantage: If you owe no one a Boon, you are a wildcard. A title such as Sheriff or Harpy or Primogen should never be given unto you, for you have nothing to moderate your bestial side.
A Boon is an investment. You never know what you may need a Boon for- so you take a Boon out with as many people as possible. But Boons don�t really work if the person who owes you a Boon is killed; once they are gone the Boon you where owed is lost. Right?
Not so. Think about it like this: That Boon was an investment that you had simply not cashed in yet. Now someone has destroyed your investment, and they have to compensate you -- usually to the same degree of the Boon they just cost you. If you kill someone who owed someone else a Boon, they have the right to ask you to now compensate them by owning them a Boon (usually the same amount but at times more). If you fail to compensate them, you will be treated as someone who will not uphold Boons. Remember that the entire economy of the Kindred depends upon everyone placing Boons high above all else. Failure to give them due reverence leads always to the hardest penalties (the weakest case- that of a trivial Boon being ignored by a neonate say can be dealt with as described above in the Harpies section).
So the upshot is- be careful whom you strike against, for you may find you have slain your worst foe, only now to owe someone else a major Boon because you did so.
The real secret to all this is that clever, ingenious or sneaky Kindred may actually seek out powerful, hated or influential Kindred and offer to be in their debt in order to use their name as protection. That annoying Anarch in the corner may be ripe for a good kicking -- but if he suddenly announces that he owes a Minor Boon to Samuel Ward, a major Boon to Prince Romanov of Atlanta, or a life Boon to Xavier Luxembourg, you must realize that if you destroy him you will owe that person a Boon. Indeed, powerful Kindred may well find many seeking to offer their service by way of a Boon to them, in order to access this very protection. Thus some give Boons but rarely, some accept all petitions, and thus collect power and influence around them like a vortex of some kind. Because they are Elders people perceive that they have power; so they give them Boons, so their power grows, so that more give them Boons etc.
This system has many names -- the most common and most realistic is patronage. Which is what it is� pure, mediaeval patronage and feudalism. Thus is the power of the Camarilla maintained.
The only people who are immune to paying compensation are Princes, Archons, and Justicars. If someone breaks a Prince's laws, and the Prince kills them, then the investment is lost; the same applies to Archons and Justicars.
Also, don�t forget that if your Domain comes into Bad Standing among other Domains, your Boons are invalidated until it is lifted. Making sure that your Prince remains in good standing is vitally important. Of course you could always swear loyalty to another Prince and leave your old Domain -- and the other Prince will accept you... for a Boon...
Status also follows on to the above mention of the Law. Two Kindred are accused of a crime... both claim the other one did it... the person with the most Status wins. Any Prince who does not take into account the Status of a person in cases such as these gets an automatic motion of Bad Standing. This is not to say that Kindred of high Status can get away with murder, but a Prince has to be sure about it and get proof in secret so that they cannot wiggle out of it by publicly saying they didn�t. Be aware if you are a low Status Kindred and a high Status Kindred is accusing you of something, the best bet is to find an even higher Status Kindred, offer them a Boon, and let them offer you an alibi.
Simple isn�t it?
You can�t win.
For the record Kindred justice within the Camarilla is NOT based upon trail by jury, the use of Aura Perception, Truth of the Bone, whatever... none of these are accepted. Status and Station wins. The Camarilla usually does not like investigations to get to the bottom of things. Why investigate? Better to find a scapegoat... sorry, criminal Caitiff� and kill him for the crime. If the crime happens again, then the Caitiff was obviously in league with someone. Mind you, if in doubt, blame any Anarch/Autark... they have no Status and as such are guilty of everything!
All right, all right, it depends on the Prince, but most of the time, investigations are not carried out. -- and for very good reason. Many criminal acts can be carried out and ignored if you remember one thing: while murder and Diablerie are terrible crimes and while Princes and Justicars want the criminals punished, the society must be maintained! The biggest crime in the Camarilla is to disregard Status and station.
Example of why Camarilla law is so unfair
(Based on
real game play)
Picture the scene: The Tremere Primogen has been found in a room with the recently killed corpse of the Ventrue Primogen. He claims he didn�t do it. The Prince summons him and the entire court (this is a bad move, but we�ll come back to that in a bit).
Prince: Right, My Lord Tremere... did you kill the
Ventrue Primogen?
Tremere: My Lord... I cannot tell
a lie... nope. I had nothing to do with it.
Near-By
Toreador: A-HA! Your majesty, my learned Tremere Primogen
is a lying, two faced murdering git.
Tremere: You
have evidence?
Toreador: I don�t have to have
any... I just read your aura and me and EVERYONE could see
that you were lying your bloody head off...
Tremere: YOUR MAJESTY! What on Earth is going on?
You�ve allowed a Toreador Anarch present evidence...
Toreador: WHAT!?
Prince: (Who knows
where this is going and what is going to happen) My God, I
think your right!
Toreador: What the hell?
Tremere: A viper in our midst. I wonder, are the
entire Toreador so affected...?
Toreador: What the
Hell are you talking about?
Tremere: You, Sir, you
and your disregard for the Traditions and laws of the
Camarilla. You and your attempt to subvert the Camarilla from
within...
Toreador: I beg your pardon?
Tremere: I had given my word as a Primogen. You say
you glanced at my aura and contradict me! You glance at my
aura... you doubt my word!
Toreador: Well, of
course I bloody well do, you�re a sneaky git!
Tremere: That�s MR. Sneaky Git to you, Sunshine!
Or, rather, Lord PRIMOGEN Sneaky Git. You, Sir, have decided
to disregard our sacred Traditions, disregard the rules that
have kept the Camarilla in place for the past seven hundred
years. You have taken the system of Status, which unites us
and binds us, and defines our place in our society, and you
have thrown it out the window. You doubt my word in public...
by doing so, you suggest that Status is redundant. You wish to
destroy it, eh?
Toreador: Er... no, that�s not...
Tremere: No doubt you wish to get rid of Boons and
introduce democracy as well... probably hang about with Danton
don�t you?
Toreador: No, now wait a minute...!
Tremere: Your majesty, I insist that this criminal
be staked immediately.
And like that the bad guy gets away with it! Why? Because Kindred society is deadlier than any Kindred! It is not based upon fairness or justice. The Tremere Primogen did kill the Ventrue one... but the Toreador broke an even bigger rule... He disregarded station. The Tremere committed murder... the Toreador committed treason and sedition. And since his act of treason was to say he had read the Tremere�s aura... then the very accusation is treason, and thus the case is dropped and the Toreador gets it! (This could lead to people like the Harpies judging and ruling cases... and that�s almost right!)
Mind you, the Prince messed up. He should have gotten the Toreador to ask the Tremere in private, and then used the Aura Reading as evidence when coming up later. The evidence would have been in beforehand, and the statement that the Primogen was lying more acceptable (because the Prince can say it). Committing a crime becomes something anyone can get away with... if they are smart. Bringing someone to justice is as easy as just saying the right thing at the right time to the right person. Who cares if they did it? Who cares what their Aura says? It�s about how you appear and what power you have. An Elder can make your life miserable for years. That�s the whole point of the game... you must out nasty the nasty guy. Just think... if that Toreador in the above example had been the Primogen, not only would have the Tremere Primogen got away with the murder of the Ventrue Primogen, but the Prince would have been forced to punish the entire Toreador Clan!
Also, remember; accusations of criminal activity against Kindred must be made by those of high standing in a court. It�s not enough that you get evidence against the Tremere Primogen, the evidence and the accusation must be made by the Prince, the Seneschal, the Chief Harpy, the Sheriff, the Keeper of Elysium or the other Primogen. Someone has to stand up and make the accusation and take the blame if the accusation falls down. Anonymous tip-offs and so forth are instantly discounted. The reason someone important has to bring the accusation is that if it goes wrong, someone important has to take the blame� at least until they pass the buck onto the little person who made the accusation in the first place. If you make an accusation and it is thrown out, you are guilty of bringing false witness. Even if what you told is the truth, you have brought false witness. The very act of accusation is a dangerous thing. Heaven forbid you accuse a Prince in good standing of a crime -- the very act is sedition and should only be carried out by another Prince!
Remember that the Prince of a Domain is the final judge of all things.
Then they simply choose a candidate whom they want. In the case where the Primogen have deposed the Prince but cannot decide on a single candidate, they merely say whom they support. The ST works out who wins based on the simple system of one vote per Status trait those with the most Status support win; an interesting way to decide after the Primogen just blew a LOT of Status to get into that position.
When a Seneschal attempts to take Praxis, it�s between a Prince and the voice of the Prince; Anything goes...
The Prince who called it is killed -- this means that the PERSON who calls the Hunt is no longer around to enforce it. To address all those who reply �That Prince just called a Bloodhunt on me, I think I will kill him,� -- this option is not really open unless you are smart. If you get away with this it undermines the other Princes. Most, if they discover this, will automatically Bloodhunt you as well.
The trick for Princes is to make sure that this doesn�t become an option. If they call Bloodhunts alone, they become targets of the Hunted; it's better to have other Princes call the Hunt as well. This is one of the main advantages of the Factions -- many include a clause that says �If one of us Hunts we all hunt� The down side to this is that usually all the Princes have to agree beforehand to the hunt.
It is illegal to Bloodhunt another Kindred with the title Prince; to do that will bring Domains into conflict which weakens the Camarilla. This was why Tribunals where created. So, if your Bloodhunt a Kindred and then they gain Praxis elsewhere, the Bloodhunt drops. This creates an interesting position; many Princes may wish to give shelter to one of their Domain who they feel is unjustly hunted (usually for a Boon). The problem is that Kindred and the Prince both know that if they seize Praxis they are free from the Hunt and the Boon.
It is illegal to Bloodhunt an entire Camarilla Clan. Saying you wish to Bloodhunt all Tremere within a Domain is against the �alliance of the seven� and will lead to Archons being sent. This is never a pretty picture.
Kindred who are under a Bloodhunt automatically lose half their Status traits. Several Kindred manage to make a good account for themselves by using Obfuscate to hide themselves and turning up in Elysiums and having fun on the run. So be it... but people found to be associating with these people, for whatever reason, shall be subject to the charge of aiding and abetting the Bloodhunted person. This charge is enough to have them killed in the Domain the Bloodhunt was originally called; if it is a national Bloodhunt, it applies to the whole country. Even talking to a Bloodhunted person is enough to get you killed. Be careful -- always try and meet them in secret or in Domains where the Bloodhunt on them isn�t in standing.
Some Princes operate the policy of Bad Blood: If a Kindred is bloodhunted, the Princes evoke the Fourth Tradition to investigate ALL of that line.
Some Justicars are very hands on... most aren�t. Most stand back and allow Kindred society moderate itself. If the Justicars have to send an Archon somewhere it is usually because the Prince has failed. This is important. If some criminal is terrorizing a Domain and the Prince is too weak to deal with it and has not the allies within a faction or Elder manipulators to deal with it, the Archons are sent for. In cases like this it is not uncommon for an Archon to pass sentence upon a Prince as well.
When a Justicar arrives it is because an Archon has failed. Justicars are without doubt the most powerful Kindred your PC�s will ever meet. They are the wrath of the Camarilla. They are not here to see what an interesting person your character is. They are here to judge, to punish and to leave. When they turn up there is no reason to assume that they are going to stay on any given subject -- they may use their arrival to investigate everyone they see. It is rumored that the Nosferatu Justicar, Markov, once said, �There are two types of Princes in the world; those who are guilty of breaching the Traditions... and those who have yet to be caught.�
The best IC advice about the Justicars- avoid them at all costs. The kid gloves have been taken off. In the past people use to complain at the treatment of their PCs at the hands of Justicarical NPCs. This is the wake up call: these NPCs are designed to judge and to kill. They are not designed to provide detailed roleplay encounters for your characters. They are not designed to give a damn about your PC. Your PC is an annoyance to them.
Justicars do not represent their Clan. The Nosferatu have no claim on their Justicar. It is the Nosferatu Justicar, not the Nosferatu�s Justicar; Justicars� first and only allegiance is the Camarilla. For their term of office, this is all they care about. Supplying them with regular information, deferring to them as you would defer to any person who has the power to have you killed with but a word, and generally not trying to annoy them is a good way to get along with the Justicars.
If you are playing a PC and a Justicar enters your story, be aware that from that moment until it leaves your character�s story, you may be killed at anytime for any IC reason. You are now roleplaying with the world�s most deadly creature.
The first advantage of not being a member of the Camarilla is that one does not have to follow these rules at all. You are free to act outside them. The main disadvantage is that outside the Camarilla you are outside its protection and thus must face the consequences. Let us look at each Clan and their relationship with the protocols and the Camarilla.
The standard response to Snakes by Princes is to charge them Boons to exist within their Domain. Princes know damn well that the Followers will quickly try and infiltrate a given Domain and make as many Kindred end up owing them. As long as the Prince keeps tabs on the Followers, they can utilize them to great effect. For example, a Prince may want a certain Primogen removed but cannot do so -- every time he invokes the �Call of the Seasons� the Clan chooses the same Primogen. The Prince can�t move openly against said Primogen because the Clan Head is an ally and the Clan Head may influence all Princely members of that Clan to vote a Domain of Bad Standing for the Prince if he singles out the given Clan. What is the Prince to do? Simple-- the Followers owe him a Boon and he calls it. They are asked to remove the Primogen, which they can do because the self-same Primogen owes the Followers a Boon.
The Followers love the protocols and tend to follow them closely. They also tend to break them the most and get away with it, because they offer something the others cannot do. If caught, they know that by offering a Boon to the Prince to continue to work in the area, they can quickly gain more Boons.
Those Followers of Set who are members of the Camarilla are expected to act slightly more circumspectly- but they do fulfill many roles within the Sect. Followers who hold the position of Harpy or Keeper of Elysium tend to be ideally suited to the job.
Giovanni
The Giovanni are forbidden to get
involved in internal Camarilla political matters. They are
immune to the powers of the protocols completely except where
they are discovered to be trying to influence political
matters -- in which case they are worm food.
Several Princes codify the relationship with the Giovanni very simply- as holders of Praxis they can charge or tax the Giovanni a certain amount of their income to remain in any given Domain. This tax is to be paid directly to the Prince Many Giovanni understand this completely -- as merchants they have long understood the important of paying the local despot a fee to be allowed to exist within his city. The more money the Giovanni makes, the more money the Prince makes, so many times the Giovanni arrange for positions such as Chancellor -- which holds no Status and is not a Camarilla position, but allows the Giovanni to regulate all business deals. Giovanni use this as an excuse to create Coffeehouses or Exchequers which encourage those Kindred with business interests to come a trade freely in an atmosphere of relaxed gentility. These environments usually increase revenue and act as a way of allowing Kindred utilize their influences (not just finances) in a way that works out for them best. The Giovanni, as neutrals, are the only Clan suited to making sure that all such transactions are done fairly and well. For a small fee they will even be willing to underwrite certain actions.
By acting as arbiters of Influences and making sure that no one does anything with them to damage the Princes Domain and reduce it in terms of wealth and social environment, the Giovanni are able to charge a small levy to those Kindred so involved. This increases their wealth, which in turn makes the Princes cut larger -- thus Giovanni are often the best at moderating influences and Boons.
Giovanni in the Camarilla are accepted members of the Camarilla, but still may hold no position.
Assamites
The Assamites are considered by many
to be foes of the Camarilla. Their relationship is defined by
the fact that they do a job- a nasty job but a job
nonetheless. It is generally accepted that Assamites only do
their job because someone else has hired them -- an Assamite
may be the weapon but they are not the killers.
Several Princes having some interesting arrangements with the Hunters. Many will not bloodhunt an Assamite -- they were only doing the orders given to them. Many also say that, while they will not bloodhunt an Assamite, that they would never insult the Assamites by suggesting they would give the name of the person who hired them without many nights of extensive torture. Others hunt them on sight and hunt any that would use them. The relationship is not set; the only moderating factor in all this is the Assamites Curse. It is because of this Curse that Assamites are even tolerated by many...
Ravnos
The Ravnos have a very interesting
attitude to this entire document. They can totally ignore it.
No one expects them to follow it, or anything within it- so
they can damn well ignore the entire thing. This being said
ignoring it, or the expectation to ignore it, leaves the
Ravnos in a weakened position; they have to work against the
prejudice that goes with this expectation all the time. No one
thinks a Ravnos is going to behave in a civilised manner; this
is used to justify much anti-Ravnos behaviour.
The Ravnos have an additional special ability- members of this Clan and them alone can ignore any and ALL formal Boons. Totally. It is rumoured that the Ravnos have their own system of Boons- based on their Rom heritage; true or not certainly Rom repay debts they clearly feel they owe. But since Boons, in the Camarilla sense, are recognised as the currency of the Camarilla, many formal Boons are worthless to the Ravnos. They can promise you a life boon... there is no penalty for them to ignore this.
This being said, everyone knows this about the Ravnos- and thus they trust the Ravnos accordingly. "Not worth a Ravnos boon" is a common expression coined by one of the Followers of Set back in the early 1800's. The phrase has stuck.
Lasombra Anti-tribu
The Lasombra are recognized
and given full rights within the Camarilla. There are too few
of them to effect any position such as Clan Head, Primogen
etc.
Caitiff
One thing must be remembered about
Caitiff here -- and it is important: Caitiff are clanless- to
many they are bastards. Many are accepted as members of the
Camarilla, many more are killed on sight. A Caitiff has no
Primogen to back him up, no Clan Head, no support at all. This
has led to the oft-used term to describe Caitiff- Patsies. One
can blame a caitiff for a crime- who is going to speak up for
them? No one. And if someone does, many a Harpy will ask them
why they are supporting a bastard.
Added to this, in certain nations such as the UK and Ireland Caitiff are not Acknowledged by Princes: at best they are Tolerated; at worst they are without any words of recognition. That means any can do to them as they see fit. Because of this, Caitiff usually find someone of power to attach to and stick there like glue. Many Caitiff find themselves working for their Prince with a ferocious loyalty: If they don�t, they face the Prince�s displeasure and the end of their lives. A common practice for Princes when a Primogen breaks a law is that the Primogen gives the Prince a large Boon and the Prince then to publicly blames the Caitiff for the crime.
Caitiff who hold Praxis are in a very dangerous position: If caught they get an automatic Motion of Bad Standing AND are usually killed.
Anarchs, by their existence, suggest that one does not need the protocols of behavior in order to live. They show that there exists another way for Kindred to live, and they undermine the very society around them. This makes them dangerous. This makes many Kindred want them dead. So be it.
Anarchs do play another interesting role among those not bound in by the protocols of Camarilla. For many Princes Anarchs allow the more provocative young Kindred openly show their allegiance. It is a recognized fact that the greatest threat to any Domain, especially in the light of the Treaty of Barbs, is that a seemingly loyal member of the Camarilla can rise in power, gain Praxis and then go Anarch. In keeping with the Edict, this allows the Anarchs to take a Domain without Barbs being broken and the Camarilla has to accept it!. This cannot be allowed to happen. Anarchs must be encouraged to exist openly -- �secret Anarchs� now become the most dangerous foes of the Camarilla. Thus many Princes tolerate or indulge Anarchs, provided they understand the rules.
The main trump card Anarchs can play is that they can help the Prince or the Primogen. They can do favors for them when a Primogen wants to destroy a political rival and cannot move for fear of their own Clan rejecting it. One can always ask an Anarch to do it, as the Anarchs are more than happy usually to take down a Camarilla Kindred. Many a Prince has also discovered to their horror that attacking and Bloodhunting Anarchs lead to his name being added to a list for retaliation. It may take months or even years, but come it will. The Anarchs have shown that they operate far more successfully on a global scale at times: a Prince in America may act and discover that a fellow member of his Clan is executed in Europe and Australia because of what he did.
The relationship between the two groups is tense and deadly, but many Anarchs often act very much within the protocols, behaving in a manner that would put MANY of the local Camarilla Vampires to shame. They uphold Domain and Elysium with a strictness that many Elders admire; this is especially true of Anarchs who own their own territory. For those Anarchs who act in a manner in keeping with the protocols, many a Prince and Harpy need to have them around... the insult �You act worse than those Anarchs� is one which all Camarilla Kindred should take as a metaphor for �Change the way you act or I shall Bloodhunt you�.
Why do they act in a way that reinforces the protocols? The average Anarch knows that many a Camarilla Kindred wishes to kill him, especially the Lemmings (Anarch slang for the takers of the Great Oath); but the Anarchs also realize that these Camarilla Cold Warriors are also mainly admired for their physical powers as opposed to their mental ones. Chances are that if the Anarchs survive the attack they can and will use the protocols to force the local Prince to kill those who attacked and probably broke the Protocols. Thus it is in the Anarchs interest to act fully within the protocols in public at all times. As long as they follow the rules, the Camarilla has to do so as well or the Camarilla and the local Princes lose face. Therefore many Anarchs when in conflict with a local Prince soon find themselves being courted by other Princes who seek to bring down that Prince and know the Anarchs will be watching him closely.
It is the mixture of behaving politely added to the fear of the tactical brilliance shown by the Anarchs in situations involving violence that makes them so dangerous. Thus the stakes are high... Princes watch, looking for the first sign that the local Anarchs have broken The Edict of Barbs or that they have not upheld the Protocols when visiting local Camarilla domains, and those Anarchs can expect to find their lives ended very quickly.
Players and storytellers should find a copy of the first
edition of the Storytellers Guide by White Wolf and find
within it a short piece of fiction on Page 57. It is a GREAT
example of how Anarchs can run rings around Princes and the
Princes be forced to take it. The way they do it is by playing
within the rules.
It is very difficult to adopt this position and get away with it for long. This is why the majority of Kindred who are under this title are the ones you see once a year if you are lucky; they withdraw from the society totally (it�s a lot safer that way).
The only really successful Autarkis are those who roleplay hard enough or who are old and tough enough not to care. These Elder Autarkis are generally very mean, very wise, or very useful on a personal basis and thus many Princes tolerate and allow them live. Those who cannot make themselves useful can expect no mercy or favors. The very act of going Autarkis is costly -- to do so means you reject everything to do with the Sect: station, Status and above all, legal rights. You are outside the society, and you cannot expect to use its rules and remain. Autarkis cannot hold any Sect position at all. Any who does is not Autarkis. Autarkis is not the �I live by my own rules� option here. In Vampire, there is no �I live by my own rules� option. That option does not exist nor has it ever existed. Autarkis is the �I reject the society and the society rejects me� option. It is a lonely and dangerous path that the Autarkis take, and like all things, it costs. Many soon find they cannot afford the price.
This does not stop Autarkis existing quite openly; they just have to be careful.
These rules are here to make sure balance remains in all things. By applying strict codes of behavior, we now have the following situation: It don�t matter how strong or weak your character sheet is; it don�t matter what your generation is; it don�t matter what your clan is: If you decide to mess about you will be brought down.
Got a Prince who�s throwing his weight around and making your life hell? Make sure he crosses the line and you can bring them down. Got a neonate whose disrupting everything? Now you can get rid of him without looking like the bad guy. In all things, please remember the golden rule... the players who win are those players who think nastier than the others, roleplay harder than the others, and generally don�t take part in lame ideas and get caught lots. Play it straight and watch what happens.
Remember that the whole thing is about how one is presented in PUBLIC. The system we have is one where who you are decides what you can or cannot do; what you can or cannot say. Little people who hold no station have no political power, but they have a lot more free reign than a Prince, who while may like it on the top but soon finds that he is limited in what he can do.