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

don’t happen, but rather that those positions are either embattled or held by Kindred with
such enormous personal power that they can maintain broad tenurial domains.
TERRITORIAL DISPUTE
Trouble arises occasionally between the Prince and his Regents, and more frequently
between Regents themselves. A rare few Regents are so powerful that they can pass laws in
opposition to the Prince’s decrees or at least refuse to enforce the Prince’s decrees. Domains
occasionally overlap, as well, especially when unconventional domains come into confl ict
with geographical ones. For instance, if a crime occurs in a Regent’s neighborhood, is that
her issue or does it fall under the auspices of the Regent of Law Enforcement?
In many of these cases, the only clear winner is the Prince, as the resources that rival Regents
devote to foiling each other take their attention from him. Indeed, if things turn ugly
and one of the Regents ends up meeting Final Death, that leaves a potential position open
for another Kindred’s reward.
As might be expected, confl ict over tenurial domains is common. It rarely escalates beyond
the boundaries of grudges and vendettas, but such feuds can be bitter and long-lived, as with
any interaction between Kindred. Indeed, some cities have been plunged into veritable civil
war over domain disputes, but most savvy Princes know to step in and reevaluate their Regents
before things become so dire.
SOCIETY HIGH AND LOW
While many of the Kindred’s actions seem to be politically oriented, that’s certainly not
the full extent of their interactions with each other. Indeed, the bulk of Kindred interactions
occur in social venues, but as is the case with such relationships, the outcomes are not so
rigidly defi ned. The Kindred power structure is formalized. The Kindred social structure has
many more facets that can’t possibly be explained in a single book.
Kindred Requiems are curious things. As noted before, vampires are solitary predators,
yet they crave the social contact that keeps their deathless loneliness at bay. Every Kindred
has some reason or another to attend social functions. For the Daeva, the sensuality of such
contact is fi rst and foremost. The Ventrue enjoy opportunities to display their grandeur and
munifi cence. The Gangrel certainly enjoy cutting loose under the right circumstances. And
even the Mekhet and Nosferatu need to emerge from the shadows and forget that they’re
monsters, if only for a short time.
The following are just a few examples of the many ways in which Kindred gather and meet
without the formalities of domain politics imposing themselves. Of course, what happens in
these venues can certainly affect politics (and only the most naïve Kindred think such things
happen only rarely), but at least those politics aren’t the order of the night in every exchange
between Kindred.
Nightlife: The Damned are no strangers to the dance clubs, bars, lounges, pool halls and
numerous other places where mortals go to enjoy themselves. For most Kindred, visiting such
places serves two purposes. It allows them to seek prey who are comfortable in their own
element, and it allows that longed-for contact with someone other than themselves.
Cultural Events: To be sure, any time an art gallery shows an exhibit, an opera or ballet is
staged, a museum hosts a ceremony, or any other affair that represents the uniqueness of the
human condition takes place, the Kindred are there, drinking in its magnifi cence and making
their own known. These needn’t even be high-society affairs, as art shows can take place in
starving artists’ bohemian galleries, and not every play is a Broadway production.
Parties: What better way to forget the pain of Damnation than to celebrate something
— anything — else. From lavish soirees hosted in grand hotel ballrooms or private mansions to
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chapter one: society of the damned