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

FEEDING RESTRICTIONS
Some Princes declare certain types of mortals off-limits to the Kindred population. The
restricted type can be anything as narrowly defi ned as a single family (“None shall touch the
descendents of Philip Danforth, for he once saved my life when I was mortal”), a profession (“I
need the police to hold back the criminal gangs employed by the unbound”), or even an entire
demographic (“As I am a Catholic, and I believe that only we have seen the true way, you shall
not touch any of the faith, that we may spread the Word to others”). Of course, the Prince’s
reasons for declaring any particular group off-limits might well be entirely selfi sh — maybe he
himself feeds only on that type, and doesn’t want the competition — but that doesn’t make the
law any less valid. Violators of such laws are usually banished, but some are slain.
TITLE, RANK AND POSITION
So who holds all the power in Kindred society? What, really, defi nes a Prince or a member
of the Primogen or a Sheriff? Are they all the same? What do they really do?
Presented here are the primary ranks and positions found throughout Kindred domains.
Not every city has one of these positions — in fact, the smallest of communities might have
only two or three of them — but they are common enough that all are worth discussing. Note
that while each position is listed by its most common title, all of them are known by various
terms throughout the world.
More on these positions and how they function in game terms can be found in Appendix
Two: The Danse Macabre.
PRINCE
The single most important and ubiquitous fi gure in Kindred politics, the Prince normally
rules her city with nearly absolute power. Some are weaker than others, of course, and some
are mere fi gureheads for powerful Primogen or other elders. For the most part, however, any
given Prince holds that position for no other reason than that she was strong enough to take
it in some way. She might be a consummate politician who attained her post by accumulating
favors from all the other elders, and who now manages her domain through diplomacy and
compromise. Alternatively, she might be a veritable warlord who gained power by intimidating
or “disappearing” her rivals, and now maintains power through the simple expedient
of slaughtering anyone who questions her. Most Princes, of course, fall somewhere in the
middle, but nearly all boast some advantage or trait that keeps them on top.
Of course, a Prince must do more than bark orders and issue death sentences. Her job
is not merely to govern, but to regulate. A Kindred domain is a boiling pot, full of personal
and sectarian confl icts, petty grudges and endless political maneuvering, all topped with
the innate and inescapable violence of a race of predators who feed on blood. The Prince’s
job is to keep a lid on that pot — or, perhaps more accurately, to be the lid on that pot. The
reason most Princes eventually become dictatorial is that they must keep so many powerful
and easily agitated vampires in line.
Note that in some rare cities, normally those largely dominated by the unaligned and the
Carthians, the Prince may attain power through means other than sheer personal ability. Such
a Prince might be selected by local elders. The Carthians have even attempted open elections.
Most often, such Princes are either overthrown by more powerful Kindred or themselves become
tyrants to make sure they are not overthrown.
Other Titles
While Prince is the most common term by far, Kindred leaders refer to themselves as
Cardinal, Bishop, Archbishop, Don, President (usually in the case of those rare elections
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chapter one: society of the damned