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

the third tradition • the blood hunt
No, the Third Tradition’s power manifests after a vampire has already made the
choice to engage in diablerie, the Kindred’s name for this act. Upon consuming the
soul of another vampire, one’s sense of moral control — the spiritual compass that
keeps a being from falling to his Beast — wavers considerably. He is not pained by
the experience, and indeed, he might even relish the newfound “freedom” he sees
in no longer being as restrained as he once was. But this illusion is the nature of the
Curse. The vampire has made his choice, and by forcing him to regret that choice,
the higher power responsible for vampires would encourage the idea that personal
choice was not the issue’s crux.
To this night, many believe that the telltale black streaks in a diablerist’s aura do
not come from any lingering effect the victim’s heartsblood may have on the killer’s
soul, but are rather a spiritual refl ection of the mark of damnation. Due to the First
Tradition, vampires cannot be branded upon the forehead or otherwise visibly marked
for their crime. No, it is a far more secret and subtle mark that exposes them to their
brethren for the monstrosities they truly are.
THE BLOOD HUNT
Sometimes, when a Kindred outlaw is considered too dangerous to be allowed to survive,
and the Prince’s own agents prove unequal to the task of locating and capturing or executing
the criminal, the Prince is forced to resort to the ancient Kindred tradition of Lextalionis, the
law of justice stating that those who violate the laws must die, and all Kindred of a domain are
responsible for carrying out that sentence. This results in the blood hunt, when the Kindred of
a domain set out to locate and destroy a specifi c quarry.
Only the Prince or other city leaders can formally call a blood hunt (though some Primogen
or Prisci have the political strength to do so over the Prince’s head). The blood hunt is a
powerful political tool, and a vampire must have matching infl uence to use it. If the Kindred
evoking Lextalionis has suffi cient clout or personal power that local vampires will respond,
and he can do so without the Prince coming down on him, he may call the hunt. If he doesn’t,
he won’t survive to repeat his impertinence, nor will many of those who answer his call.
Failing to participate in a blood hunt, particularly one called by a Prince, is not normally
a crime, except in the most extreme circumstances, but it frequently results in a loss of status
in the eyes of the court. Actively aiding and abetting a subject is a crime, however, and it can
result in banishment or execution.
The Masquerade is still paramount during a blood hunt, of course. Indeed, the Kindred
spread out across the city in something not unlike a police dragnet, coordinating their efforts
(at least offi cially) with the Sheriff or other representative of the Prince. The hunters converge
on suspected sightings, and things often get quite messy if and when the quarry is fi nally run
to ground. The hunt is rarely carried out openly, with Kindred racing down the streets leading
barking dogs, guns held aloft. While some Princes prefer to retrieve the subject intact,
most blood hunts contain a provision stating that no participating Kindred will be charged or
punished if the subject is slain or, in the case of truly dangerous criminals or truly desperate
Princes, even diablerized. In this fashion, the Prince skirts the issue of the Third Tradition
— after all, he himself is hardly guilty of diablerie if a subject carries it out.
The Kindred use all the tools at their disposal when engaging in a blood hunt, including
infl uence in the mortal world. Police might put out an APB on the subject, he might fi nd
himself on “no fl y” lists at airports, and his fi nancial accounts might be frozen. In recent nights,
some Kindred have begun using the Amber Alert system — a coordinated barrage of radio
announcements and electronic roadside signs intended to alert the public to a kidnapping
or missing child — as a means of slowing a fugitive’s escape. A few truly powerful (or foolish)
97