Mind's Eye Theatre - Vampire The Requiem.pdf - RoseRed

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they become helpless targets. Likewise, a vampire whose ghoul or mortal ally attacks
another vampire within Elysium is still expected to answer for the behavior of her
“guest,” which usually means suffering the same punishment as if she had committed
the act herself.
Needless to say, while it cuts down on the amount of violence during sessions, this
rule must be closely monitored to forestall abuse. An area of Elysium that enjoys these
unique benefi ts must be well-known and publically declared, to the city at large if not
to all the characters involved in a fi ght. Part of the power of this unspoken Tradition
derives from the air of barely enforced civillity that hangs over the location, after all.
A Prince cannot declare her immediate presence to be Elysium, for example, or hastily
announce Elysium on the spot to avoid an ambush. Nor can the Elysium contain a
character’s personal Haven. At the same time, the Storyteller should enforce the spirit,
not the letter of these guidelines. For instance, a character cannot sabotage Elysium
by setting up a sleeping bag somewhere in the building and then claiming “Well, I
have my haven here, so it’s no longer Elysium, and I can shoot him all I want.”
HAVENS
Any discussion of Kindred safety and security from zealous enemies must eventually turn
to the concept of the haven — at once a vampire’s resting place, personal domain and private
inner sanctum. A haven is the place (perhaps the only place) where a vampire can reliably
fi nd shelter from the sun while she sleeps the day away. Therefore, the selection and administration
of one’s haven can often be (or quickly become) one of the most important aspects
of a young vampire’s unlife.
The vast majority of neonates do not begin their unlives with an established haven of their own.
As a rule, mortals do not keep their domiciles in a condition well suited to a vampire’s needs, so
the Embrace often forces an immediate change of environs upon a newly created fl edgling. More
often than not, a Kindred’s sire provides his new progeny with a haven, even if only temporarily.
Once a neonate has grown accustomed to the rules of his new existence, he may then — often
with his sire’s assistance — procure a haven of his own somewhere in the domain. Once in a while,
the neonate merely returns to his former, mortal residence with the intent of renovating, and
indeed, some types of homes need surprisingly little work in order to become functional havens.
Most of the time, though, the sire advises against such a move, as it invites questions from one’s
former life and generally complicates a young vampire’s existence unnecessarily.
A SIRE’S HOSPITALITY
A strange, unoffi cial tradition has arisen over time concerning havens, and it has
caused no small measure of ill will between sires and childer over the centuries. The
tradition is seen most often among the Ventrue clan, and many believe that the
custom’s origins can be traced back to an ancient Eastern European mortal convention.
Regardless, some Kindred follow a tradition that says a sire is responsible for housing
his progeny until such time as that protege is released into the world. After all, they
argue, once a neonate has a haven of his own, he technically has his own personal
domain, and many old-fashioned sires do not believe that childer are entitled to the
rights of domain until such time as they are released. Therefore, the waiting period for
receiving a haven of one’s own can be much longer than a neonate expects, depending
on his sire’s sense of convention. Many bitter neonates are quick to point out the fact
that being beholden to one’s sire for protection from the banes of one’s existence,
as well as for one’s political station in vampiric society, puts one’s entire unlife in the
sire’s hands, and that’s just how many sires like it. Thankfully, this tradition is practiced
less frequently as time marches on. Tonight, few sires would even want their fl edgling
childer dwelling under the same roof with them for years on end.
chapter one: society of the damned