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

clan eminence and covenant ascendancy chapter • ascendant one: society covenant of the benefi damned ts 291
3.15 — EMINENT/ASCENDANT BONUS TO CITY STATUS
Active Members Bonus
1-4 No Bonus
5-9 +1 City Status
10-19 +2 City Status
20+ +3 City Status
These bonus dots are the same as those earned in any other way (and grant the Prince and
Harpies additional Status points if appropriate), but do not count in the next month’s tally.
They vanish on the last night of the month and are recalculated on the fi rst of every new
month. The bonuses do not travel at all (see p. 283).
Each character is likely to be part of both a clan and covenant and can benefi t from a City
Status bonus from both his clan and covenant in the same month. The modifi ers are cumulative.
These bonuses can bring a character’s City Status above 5 for the month, but characters
with such infl ated Status dots do not count toward the normal limits on the number of
Kindred at City Status 4 and 5 in a single domain (see p. 286).
ASCENDANT COVENANT BENEFITS
When a covenant achieves ascendancy, it is the dominant socio-political entity in a domain.
Its ideology, organization and administrative methods imprint themselves on the city, and
members fi nd it easier to obtain certain common benefi ts from being in charge.
Ascendant covenant and eminent clan benefi ts (see below) are cumulative — a single character
can benefi t from both in the same month. If they ever come into confl ict, the covenant
benefi t always takes precedence.
• The Carthian Movement: Ascendant Carthians fi nd it easy to interact with the mortal
world and co-exist with the mortals in the domain. By calling in a favor or otherwise greasing
mortal wheels, Carthians can fi nd an improvised haven somewhere in the city on very short
notice, not needing to return to their normal homes. They cannot be left without a shelter
unless they are taken outside the city. Such improvised havens do not grant any of the benefi ts
of the Haven Merit, however.
Once per month, every ascendant Carthian can also call on her resources to attract a small
crowd of mortals (between 8 and 15 people, depending on how many would be available in
the area). These humans help out in an activity of the Carthian’s choice, whether staging a
protest outside an elder’s haven or building a simple structure for a community group, so
long as the activity is fairly innocuous and in line with the Carthian’s rhetoric. This activity
cannot involve anything immediately illegal beyond what might be expected of non-violent
protesters. A sit-in is reasonable, but an armed uprising or robbery is not. The mortals also
have no particular loyalty to the Carthian in question, so do not risk their lives or a lengthy
jail sentence unless other means are used to convince them.
• The Circle of the Crone: Circle members fi nd it very easy to develop small groups of mortal
followers. Most of these people are typically convinced that they’re involved in nothing more
than a pagan worship circle. By making requests for help in ritual research or observances, a
Circle member can use these mortals to help out with large rites (provided they don’t violate the
Masquerade), or to perform tedious and mundane research and acquisition of materials involved
in rites. Ascendant Acolytes thus gain the equivalent of two dots of the Allies Merit in the fi eld
most useful to pursuing their research. So, an Acolyte whose occult studies focus on the lessons
of the plant world might gain an Ally in the park service or the city’s botanical garden. This is a
separate instance of the Allies Merit and does not combine with any similar Merits a character
may already have. This Merit cannot be used for tasks that are overtly supernatural or illegal.