Camarilla

CAMARILLA

The Camarilla is also known as “The Ivory Tower,”
and the Sect lives up to that moniker. Created in the
15th century, the Camarilla was formed to preserve
and protect vampire society against the decimation
brought on by the Inquisition as well as the power drain
presented by the War of Princes during the Dark Ages.
The leaders of the Camarilla ruthlessly enforced the
Tradition of the Masquerade, elevating it to the Sect’s
highest law, a priority they continue to pursue even
in modern nights. These so-called “Kindred” seek to
maintain a quiet harmony between vampires and humanity
— a goal constantly threatened by the Sabbat.

The First Tradition:
The Masquerade
Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood.
Doing such shall renounce thy claims of Blood.
This is the most important Tradition, for its observance
protects the race of Caine from discovery by a
mortal world that would unite against them in fear
and hatred. Many Princes and other Kindred authorities
spend a great deal of time using their influence or
wealth to cover up breaches of the Masquerade, for the
greater good of the Damned who may not even understand
the peril in which they place themselves when
they breach it. The Camarilla tends to err on the side
of the pragmatic, cultivating its power from the shadows,
but the Sabbat longs for a time when the Masquerade
is no longer necessary, when mortals are little
more than blood-thralls born into the shackles of their
vampiric masters.

The Second Tradition:
The Domain
Thy domain is thine own concern.
All others owe thee respect while in it.
None may challenge thy word while in thy domain.
Of all the Traditions, Princes often employ the widest
range of interpretations when it comes to the Second Tradition.
Some Princes maintain that the Second Tradition applies only to those of their station, that a given city is entirely a Prince’s domain and that everyone in
it owes him fealty and perhaps tribute. Other Princes
are much more liberal, granting each (acknowledged)
Kindred in her domain the power of sovereignty over
their own territory. Most Princes fall somewhere in the
middle, acknowledging that each Kindred makes his
own fortune and has a right to authority in areas accepted
as his, but not complete autonomy.
The Third Tradition:
The Progeny
Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine Elder.
If thou createst another without thine Elder’s leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain.

Many if not most Princes require that prospective
sires seek their permission before performing the Embrace
to create fledglings. However, some domains interpret
“thine elder” to signify either the elder of one’s
own Clan, or even one’s own sire. Note that such liberal
domains are often the ones with the greatest Kindred
populations, and often ones that come closest to
jeopardizing the Masquerade due to Kindred overpopulation.


The Fourth Tradition:
The Accounting
Those thou create are thine own children.
Until thy Progeny shall be Released, thou shall command them in all things.
Their sins are thine to endure.

This Tradition imposes a twofold rule. First, a sire
effectively owns her progeny until such a time as she
deems them fit to face Kindred society on their own.
Second, a wayward childe brings trouble upon his sire’s
head, for the sire is responsible for the actions and consequences
of her childe until the point at which she is
emancipated. This Tradition is simultaneously at the
center of some Kindred’s policy of making their childer
earn their freedom through a long and arduous process,
and other Kindred’s policy of, “Fuck it; you’re a vampire
now. Don’t ruin it for the rest of us or I’ll tear your
heart out myself. Good luck.”

The Fifth Tradition:
Hospitality
Honor one another’s domain.
When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there.
Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing.

A Prince has the right to dictate who may stay in his
domain and who must leave or suffer punishment. This
Tradition also imposes the responsibility on a traveling
or relocating Kindred to present herself to the
local Kindred authority and make herself known and
accountable for any missteps. Again, this Tradition’s
enforcement falls to the whim of individual Princes.
Some are iron-fisted dictators who demand to know
the comings and goings of all the Kindred in their cities,
while others don’t mind so much as everyone heeds
the other Traditions and doesn’t disturb the social order.

The Sixth Tradition:
Destruction
Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind.
The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder.
Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt.
The Blood Hunt — the Lextalionis — is the Princely
decree that declares another vampire persona non grata.
The right of Princes (or “elders,” depending upon the
interpretation of the Tradition) to call the Blood Hunt
effectively forfeits the hunted Kindred’s unlife; it is
the ultimate punishment levied for the most grievous
of crimes. Indeed, it is used so sparing and so severely
in most domains that many Princes will even pardon
those Kindred who perform diablerie on a vampire under
the Lextalionis.
Títulos na Camarilla

Prince (Camarilla)
The preeminent vampire of a Camarilla city and
probably the most numerous position of ultimate authority
among Western Kindred, Princes are the rulers
of given cities. Some Princes are tyrants or absolute
monarchs of the Damned while others are politically
feeble puppets propped up by more powerful supporters,
but the position of Prince is one acknowledged
and even (grudgingly) respected by all vampires, even
those not of the Camarilla.
Scourge: In this time, which many elders believe to
be the Time of Thin Blood, the Scourge is responsible
for destroying those vampires of 14th and higher Generation.
This is a position most often found in paranoid
domains where elders believe that fighting the symptoms
of the Final Nights will stave off the coming of
Gehenna.

Sheriff: The Sheriff is the Prince’s right-hand Kindred,
responsible for the physical enforcement of
Princely decree. Some Sheriffs are diligent masters-atarms
while others are thuggish, bloody fuckheads who
abuse their authority to torment those beneath their
station. A Sheriff may appoint Hounds to assist him
(or the Prince may appoint them, in the interests of
curtailing a Sheriff’s overt power).

Primogen: Primogen is a flexible title. In some domains,
a Primogen is simply the eldest and most influential
Kindred of a given Clan. In others, a Primogen
is a member of a council of advisors to the Prince. In
some domains, Princes appoint the Primogen (and
they may even appoint multiple Primogen of the same
Clan, to keep that Clan divided) while in other cities,
Primogen arise from among the most powerful members
of that Clan or as a result of popular Clan politics.
Justicar: These are the judges appointed by the Inner
Circle to be the Camarilla’s eyes, hands and, if necessary,
fists. It is the Justicars who decide the punishment
for those who have violated the Traditions on a
widespread level. A Justicar serves for 13 years, and her
actions may be challenged only by another Justicar.

Archon: Each Justicar selects a number of minions,
known as Archons, to act in his name as suits his purposes.
Archons are typically chosen from the upper
ranks of ancillae and occasionally elders of lesser station.
Justicars occasionally choose Archons to carry
out specific missions, and prefer political savvy, insight,
and skill over standing and clout. An Archon’s
position typically lasts for as long as a Justicar wishes to
retain her, but no longer than the Justicar’s tenure.
The Inner Circle: The true hub of the Camarilla,
this group meets once every 13 years to plan out the
business and direction of vampire society — as much as
any group can presume to dictate the doings of a race of
immortal predators. Every Clan is permitted one representative,
usually the eldest member of the Clan, as
only the eldest may cast the Clan’s vote.