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

The Invictus
the invictus
In the eyes of those who don’t understand it, the Invictus is the despised aristocracy of the
undead, the gentry who did nothing to earn their position but who would do anything to
maintain it. They’re landlords, overseers and dictators. The Invictus might not truly hold much
more authority across the domains than the other covenants do, but it makes such a big deal
about what power it does have that many Kindred often associate it with the highest offi ces. The
Invictus tries to portray itself as among the oldest covenants, yet oldest or not, the covenant is
certainly tenured. It has vast interest — and infl uence — in mortal affairs, and many outside the
covenant see it as the guardian (sometimes excessively so) of the Masquerade.
Overview
To an extent, the common perception of the Invictus is accurate as far as it goes, but it
leaves the greatest depths of the covenant unexamined. The so-called First Estate is, at its
heart, still rooted in the feudal system. It was purportedly during some stage soon after the
collapse of the Roman Empire that the Invictus developed into what it is tonight, cementing
a dogma that its elders claim actually predates the fall. Call it divine right, the natural order,
rule by the strong or whatever you like — the Invictus operates entirely as a system of linked
monarchies. Everything is about power. Those who don’t have it want it, while those who
have it want to keep and increase it.
To hear the Invictus tell it, the covenant represents a meritocracy. The Kindred with the
greatest skill, the greatest ambition and ultimately the greatest claim to leadership eventually
rise to dominance. In the process, they are tempered, learning to deal with all manner of
impediments, political, social or martial. If the Invictus is ruled by Princes, they are Princes
of their own making.
It’s a nice conceit. In many select regions, it’s even true. For the most part, however, the
First Estate is like any feudal government — those at the top stay there, and those at the bottom
are crushed. If personal strength determines political power, how can young Kindred possibly
advance? After all, their elder rivals already have the advantage of decades if not centuries of
head start. They’re stronger. They’re wiser. They’re far more experienced in the political arena.
And unlike mortal aristocracies, in which the up-and-comers could count on positions eventually
opening up, Invictus elders aren’t likely to die naturally anytime soon, and those who fall
to torpor have time to set their allies and pawns up to take their place. The Invictus, then,
represents the pinnacle of achievement for the aristocracy: the illusion of equal opportunity
57