Some call this the Tradition of "politeness":
Knock before entering. This was done even before princes ruled cities, and continues
to be done even if there is only one other Kindred i a domain. Simply put, a
vampire traveling to a new city should present herself to the prince or other
elder in charge in that city. This process can be frightfully formal, with a
prince demanding some form of surety regarding the newcomer's status, politics
and lineage, or as casual as meeting at Elysium and introducing oneself politely.
Some princes require guests to announce their arrivals immediately, while other
accept presentations weekly or within the lunar month. Certain very liberal
princes even permit visitors to come and go unannounced as they please, requiring
that a guest present herself only if she wishes to take up permanent residence
in a city.
Those who choose not to present themselves take dangerous chances. If a city
is currently facing Jyhad, a newcomer risks being mistaken for an enemy. A prince
may invoke the Second Tradition to punish an unintroduced vampire with impunity.
By the Fifth Tradition, a prince's right to question all who enter her domain
is unchallenged, even if her power to expel may be thwarted occasionally. A
prince also has the right to refuse entry to any who enter, particularly in
the case of newcomers whose poor reputations precede them or who bring cumbersome
baggage in the form of blood hunts, enemies or other potential threats to the
city and Masquerade.
Such individual denials have become quite common in the modern nights, as princes
grow paranoid and xenophobic in light of looming Gehenna. Some princes, when
presented with a group of Kindred visitors, permit entry to certain members
of the coteries while denying it to others, reasoning that, if the group is
on some sort of sinister errand, its potential to harm will be lessened by dividing
its numbers. Certain notorious Kindred may also find themselves unwelcome in
some cities, while their companions are welcomes without reservation.
Not every vampire chooses to present herself. Vampires such as Inconnu, Methuselahs
and even some elders refuse on the grounds that they do not acknowledge the
prince's right and power over them, even if they are in her domain. Vampires
of independent clans (such as Ravnos or Giovanni) may prefer not to have a prince's
eye scrutinizing them. Autarkis and anarchs simply sneer at the prince; they
aren't part of the party, so why should they bother knocking? And vampires who
were made, then abandoned -- and increasingly common phenomenon -- may be unaware
of the necessity