| The Nightly Game |
| The powerplays and intrigues that swarm around any Prince are rarely dull.When several elders jostle for greater position and access to the Prince,unlife can get downright exciting.Each Cainite has her own way to attempt to sway the ruler to her side,whether through cajolery,flattery,trickery,or even threats if the stakes are high enough.Pushing matters to the point of 'coup d' ettat or abdication is ill advised--- power vacuums can mean blood in the streets---but the elders play more thean one game in the corridors of power. Most Prince's are 'advised' by a group of elders called the Primogen.Collectively, the Primogen can be concidered among the most powerful vampires in a city, and can rival the Prince for influence of the city's Kindred.Individually, however, they are either not as powerful as the Prince himself or do not care to devote themselves to the duties of maintaining a city (beware these last,for if they become discontented, they can influence a coup by merely stretching).The Primogen usually serve as a check and balance against the power of the Prince, while seeking to advance their own clan's agendas.The bickering of the Primogen can bog down the simplest of decisions and cause much or more trouble than a Prince's high-handed pronouncements. The struggle between and among Prince and Primogen is by no means the sole component of the Kindred's political game.The Prince versus the elders, clan versus clan,elder versus neonate,taditionalist versus anarch---add in personal vendettas, revenge,greed,alliances and powermongering, and one has a very unsettled mix that can change from night to night. |