Domain Positions: The Foundation of the Camarilla
The backbone of the Camarilla is the strength of domains and the Princes that rule them. The Justicars argue that the Tradition of Masquerade justifies their ever-increasing authority. Princes counter by simply pointing to the Second Tradition: “Thy domain is thine own concern.” Advocates for domain-centric politics argue that the Camarilla doesn’t have a true centralized government, only an Inner Circle that meets infrequently and a roving enforcement squad of Justicars, many of whom are as hypocritical and corrupt as any other self-interested Kindred.
Princes are considered the true strength of the Camarilla. Most Kindred develop ties of loyalty through lineages or clans, making it difficult to truly impose central authority on the Camarilla’s membership. A strong Prince with a good deal of support can hold off a Justicar politically, if she is clever and has gathered a good deal of support. The advancement of technology has allowed the Justicars to keep a watchful eye on the Camarilla and slowly claim political territory traditionally held by Princes.
Over the centuries, the Camarilla has established a standard set of leadership positions used in most domains. Kindred society has come to accept these positions as honorable and necessary to help domains act according to the dictates of the Traditions. These offices offer a structured society a bloodless way for perpetuating the Masquerade, granting power to those who can best promote the way of the Camarilla, and punishing those who work against it.
Prince
“You’ve been reborn into a sect hundreds of years old, whose leaders convinced the world our existence is a fabrication. Suffice to say, there are some expectations. In exchange for the birthright and education you have already been given, you will adhere to our laws and customs — the Traditions. And should you wish to advance in our society, you will have to impress me.”
— Paul Walker, Brujah Elder, Prince of Kenosha
The Prince is the vampire who claims the right to rule over a domain. A Kindred becomes Prince by claiming praxis, and, if successful, she has the freedom to do as she wishes within her domain — at least in theory. In modern nights, the title of Prince is synonymous with the Camarilla, but the designation stretches back to the feudal structures of the Dark Ages and is occasionally used by vampires who predate the Camarilla. The title Prince applies to rulers of either gender; despite the title’s patrician origins, modern usage of the term owes more to Machiavelli than to royalty.
A Prince keeps the peace and creates local laws known as the Curiosities; she also does whatever is required to keep the city orderly and safe from incursion. A Prince wears many hats, including diplomat, commander in chief, lawmaker, patron of the arts, and judge. While her authority derives from the Traditions, her success as a Prince depends as much if not more on her ability to manage a domain full of supernatural nocturnal predators through skillful application of influence, persuasion, personal charisma, and sheer force of will. Some Princes are indeed despotic tyrants, but few can maintain their praxis for long without some talent for able administration.
Historically, the position was claimed by the strongest vampire in a given region, ruling as she wished. Slowly, after the Convention of Thorns, the Camarilla reshaped the modern perception of a Prince, including the addition of an advisory council of Primogen. Over time, certain privileges and responsibilities became attached to the position, either at the whim of the ruler or the demands of the ruled. The position reached its familiar modern form during the Renaissance. The true capability and powers of a Prince vary from domain to domain. A powerful Prince might elect to micromanage the entire city personally, while a less-capable Prince may be a figurehead for a potent Primogen council. The Camarilla has no set policy for succession and will usually recognize the most powerful vampire who wants to claim the title of Prince.
A Prince rules absolutely, until she loses power and another takes her place via political maneuver or a bloody coup d’état. If a Prince shows herself incapable of maintaining the safety of the city against incursion, she may be forced to abdicate by her citizens or via a Judicial Conclave.
If the Prince suffers the Final Death or is forced from office without a clear successor, the position usually falls to the Seneschal. More than one hapless Prince has “accidently” gone to Final Death, allowing an ambitious Seneschal to ascend to the position.
A Prince’s authority includes:
• Interpreting and enforcing the Traditions within the domain
• Acknowledging all Kindred arriving in the domain
• Exiling the undesirable
• Allotting feeding territory to the clans of the domain
• Declaring or revoking Elysium
• Issuing blood hunts on criminals and enemies of the sect
• Holding Right of Destruction in accordance with the Sixth Tradition
• Sanctioning breaches of the Traditions (granting the right to Embrace, and so forth)
• Punishing miscreants for violating Traditions, especially the Masquerade
• Holding status jurisdiction over her domain
A Prince gains the abiding status traits Authority, Commander, and Sovereign during her tenure in office. She can offer the acceptance of Acknowledged to any individual within her territory, without expending a status trait.
Hollow Titles and Petty Princes
Small towns or rural areas can only support a handful of Kindred, but a structure is still required to ensure that the business of the Camarilla, especially the Masquerade, is maintained. These thinly populated domains are often led by petty Princes who have the responsibilities of a Prince in a large city without the resources or prestige for the effort. Many times, elders prefer the relative safety of cities and find rural areas both dangerous and boring. Those young vampires who choose to brave small towns occasionally set themselves up in a semi-structured organization, with the “Prince” being the one who has the biggest gun or has earned the most respect. Neonates often refer to these petty Princes as “Prince of the couch,” meaning that the entire domain could meet on the Prince’s couch. A petty Prince only gains the abiding status traits Authority and Sovereign during her tenure in office.
The Power of the Primogen: Removing the Prince
The power of the Prince over her domain is absolute as long as she holds praxis of the domain. Should the Primogen Council stand united against their Prince, they have the ability to remove the Prince without bloodshed.
The local Primogen Council must, as a group, expend four Noble abiding status, the first three to symbolically strip all three positional abiding status from their Prince, and then the fourth to remove her praxis. This is a unique usage of the Noble status, and it can only be performed by Primogen of a domain upon the Prince of that same domain. Primogen who oppose the removal of the Prince can expend their Noble status to cancel one of their rival Primogen’s disloyal rebellion.
Should the Primogen Council be successful in this political maneuver, the former Prince loses her praxis, the related abiding status, and all of the rights of the position. The praxis remains unclaimed and vacant until another seizes it or the former Prince forces the Primogen to submit to her will via coercion or violence.
However, this tactic does not come without a price. Primogen who expended their Noble status to remove the Prince must reaffirm their position as Primogen amongst their clan before they can regain that abiding status.
Seneschal
The term Seneschal once described a role in ancient noble households charged with managing domestic arrangements, overseeing servants, and administrating outlaying provinces. In Camarilla domains, the Seneschal is traditionally the Prince’s most trusted assistant, and she speaks for the Prince in her absence. On any given night, the Seneschal must be a capable manager, executive officer, proxy hostess, or any one of a dozen other functions the Prince may require.
A Prince will often direct her Seneschal to screen Kindred who wish an audience, forcing them to convince the Seneschal of the discussion’s importance. Unwise Princes may command their Seneschals to perform unpleasant duties; this almost always comes back to haunt them later. Others turn hapless Seneschals into scapegoats during uncomfortable political situations, claiming the Seneschal did not give the Prince accurate, complete, or timely information. Most vampires try to curry favor with the Seneschal, for this august Kindred usually has the ear of the important vampires in the domain. While a Seneschal may choose not to work directly against an offending vampire, a clever one can easily filter the information she puts forth so as to make the object of her ire appear a fool or a threat to the Prince.
Serving as the focus for those who would speak to the Prince allows the Seneschal access to an impressive amount of information, and many manage to keep as well informed as the Harpies. In certain cases, an informal rivalry may develop between the Seneschal and the Harpies to determine who has access to better gossip. Such competition is dangerous for any Seneschal, for it is easy for other Kindred, from the Keeper of Elysium to the Prince, to perceive her as a rival for power and influence.
The primary advantage to taking this labor-intensive position is that if the Prince dies or is cast out by the Primogen without a clear contender for praxis, the Seneschal becomes the legal Prince in the eyes of the Camarilla.
A Seneschal’s authority includes:
• Holding authority to act and speak in the Prince’s stead, when the Prince is not in attendance or when the Prince is absent from the domain
• Gaining the ear of the Prince: the Prince cannot refuse to hear a request from the Seneschal. (Whether or not the Prince grants the request is another matter, but she cannot refuse the Seneschal the opportunity to make it.)
• Holding status jurisdiction over her Prince’s physical domain
A Seneschal gains the abiding status trait Noble during her tenure in office, and she temporarily gains the abiding status Authority when at a local gathering, if the Prince is not in attendance.
Primogen
Jürgen von Verden, Prince of Magdeburg, is believed to have coined the term Primogen. He recruited a number of important elders to his Primogeniture Assembly to provide counsel for his war efforts to take the old Kingdom of Transylvania from the Tzimisce. Individual Princes, wanting the support of local elders and other important Kindred, shared their power with these councils. After the Convention of Thorns, it became common for domains to have a Primogen Council to ensure stability. In fact, it became a matter of prestige for a Prince to have important elders on her council as a show of strength.
The Primogens’ main authority is to socially monitor, reward, or punish their clanmates within the domain. Primogen carefully watch their peers to ensure against abuse of the office’s powers. Primogen who boost the prestige of their clans undeservedly and get caught will certainly receive backlash from the Harpy.
Primogen speak for their clans during Primogen meetings and at formal court. In modern nights, the Primogen Council acts as an advisory council to the Prince. Traditionally, the Primogen Council is drawn from the most influential member of each pillar clan of the Camarilla. Occasionally, a Prince might offer an influential member of a non-pillar clan a place on the council. This is unusual, but is not considered scandalous, if said Primogen is powerful and seen as a benefit to the Ivory Tower. However, should this unusual Primogen fail, the Prince pays the political price in terms of scandal from the Harpies.
The Courtesies of a domain determine exactly how a Primogen is selected. Some domains may have their clans elect their Primogen through democratic vote, while others seem to merely reach a popular consensus amongst the elders of the clan. The Prince has the right to refuse a Primogen seat to a clan if it lacks sufficient population within the domain, or as punishment for miscreant misbehavior. This is a dangerous political maneuver, as it can lead to grudges and bad blood between the Primogen and the Prince.
Wise Kindred visiting a new city will meet first with the Primogen to learn the local Courtesies before seeking Acknowledgement, lest they blunder into a social error.
A Primogen’s authority includes:
• Administering punishments or rewards to members of her clan
• Advising and informing the Prince about recent events
• Speaking for the clan at meetings of the Primogen Council
• Allotting feeding territory to the members of her clan, from territory granted to the clan by the Prince
• Holding jurisdiction over members of her clan who have recently visited or dwell within her Prince’s domain.
A Primogen gains the abiding status trait Noble during her tenure in office.
Gangrel Primogen
Clan Gangrel recently returned to the fold of the Ivory Tower, but a significant number of Princes have not yet forgiven the Outlanders for their betrayal. Many Princes do not allow them a Primogen Council seat.
The Primogen Council
A city requires at least four Primogen to be considered a proper Camarilla domain, or the city is considered a Petty Domain (see Hollow Titles and Petty Princes, above), and that city cannot sanction a proper Harpy. A Prince who blatantly appoints excessive Kindred to the Primogen Council discovers that it is actually easier for his enemies to oust him in a bloodless coup. Should a Prince accept more than eight Primogen to her council, her own standing is reduced to a Petty Prince for being unable to rule without an excess of advisors.
Whip
The Primogen Council is usually limited to the single eldest or most influential member of each pillar clan, which limits the council membership to six or seven Kindred in most cases. Nevertheless, many Primogen like to maintain a lieutenant or executive assistant of sorts, as a means of displaying clan unity and to help manage particularly numerous clan populations within a domain. This assistant is often assigned to keep track of tedious details that do not demand the Primogen’s complete attention. In Great Britain and the United States, the Primogen have adopted the term Whip from their mortal legislatures to describe the Kindred serving under them. The jockeying and maneuvering among these lesser Kindred can be quite intense as the Primogen like to present the position of Whip as a route to prestige and power. Primogen gloss over the fact that there is room for only one Primogen in each clan, and these subservient vampires will only get that post by leaving for another domain or over the dead body of the current one.
A Whip gains no abiding status of her own, but temporarily gains the abiding status Noble when at her local gathering, if the Primogen is not in attendance.
Harpy
A neonate Embraced into the strength of the Ivory Tower might find it difficult to imagine the historical world of the ancient Camarilla. The founding of the Camarilla caused a number of vampire customs to be codified into a complex, world-wide system that invests a great deal of power into the hands of a position known as Harpy. In the world of the Camarilla, where the halls of power can often resemble an old boys’ club, the Harpy is as close to an equal-opportunity position as one may find. A capable Harpy is an arbiter of social propriety, an enforcer of Camarilla dogma, and a calculating favor broker who ensures that the local boon economy is secure.
Boons and scandals have long been part of Kindred society, and since ancient times, Harpies have ensured that the social mores were respected and boons were recorded. A wily Harpy can whisper a word in the right ear and cause untold damage to a Kindred’s reputation; for this reason alone, they are respected. This respect gives the Harpies a certain amount of protection against violent retribution. Woe to the base villain who kills a Harpy for performing her duty! Every Harpy in the world would band together to destroy such a threat. However, those who live by the social sword can likewise die by it. A disgraced Harpy is often punished twice as harshly by her former peers because she should know better.
Any Kindred with the right combination of wit, maliciousness, and savoir-faire may insinuate herself into the position. Of course any pretender who tries but falls short will find that news of this particular solecism has reached the ears of all but the most bucolic of domains.
Many neonates question the actual power of the Harpies, claiming that a Kindred with the strength to ignore the Harpy’s japes can simply enforce her will through violence. Such naïveté rarely lasts long. All of the elders have a vested interest in maintaining social power. The Harpy’s work keeps conflicts confined to the social arena, and that, in turn, keeps elder vampires safer. These young vampires learn the error of their ways.
A Harpy is the apex social predator of the domain. If the Harpy feels especially vicious, she can encourage the court to politically snub a social outcast, punishing anyone who is kind to her target in public. She does so by declaring it scandalous to merely speak to said vampire in public. A vampire ostracized like this is in an impossible situation. She can’t leave without being turned into even more of a laughingstock, and staying only invites more frustration as she endures barely audible titters from those in on the snub.
Further, frenzying due to taunts leads to severe punishment. Kindred are supposed to be able to control their Beasts, and the weak should stay at home. Biting insults can be more devastating to ancient vampires than a blade or gun, especially in an arena where wit is the only means of attack, such as an Elysium or a Prince’s court. A vampire who relies solely on brute force is helpless before a Harpy’s assault. A particularly cunning barb will be picked up and repeated by dozens of other Kindred, humiliating the target wherever she appears. (Some neonates create spectacular internet MEMEs and share them between allies to amuse themselves.)
These techniques might seem mild compared to, say, ripping someone’s throat out with supernatural speed and strength, but remember that the Camarilla is a society where violence against Acknowledged members of the court is forbidden, except in special circumstances.
The Harpy may sponsor other vampires as her assistants, as Lesser Harpies, to bring news, gossip, and information her way. A Harpy with two or more assistants is referred to by the title “Master (or Mistress) of Harpies,” or simply “Master (Mistress) Harpy.”
As the complex social rules of status developed within the Camarilla, the Harpies naturally asserted their authority over standing. In early nights, this authority caused a number of problems. What if several Harpies disagreed? How do you determine if a Harpy is important enough to remove standing?
Ironically, the mortal world faced a similar problem with the growing banking industry. The solution for one mirrored the other. Harpies sought support from the Primogen of their domains, much like banks sought backing from their governments for legitimacy. These nights, the alliance between the positions of Primogen and the Harpy serves as a counterbalance to the office of the Prince. A Harpy must have backing from the Primogen to maintain her position. The Primogen need a strong Harpy to ensure their power. The Primogen Council formally selects the Harpy by a simple majority vote. As long as the Harpy maintains the Primogen Council’s support, she continues to serve in her office.
A Harpy’s authority includes:
• Brokering and negotiating boons on behalf of members of the domain
• Maintaining the official record of boons for the domain
• Judging and mediating conflicts over boons for the domain
• Advising and informing the Prince about recent events
• Administering praise or scandal to the Kindred of the domain
• Appointing up to two Lesser Harpies (permanent deputies) into her service
• Exiling the undesirable from the domain
• Monitoring and enforcing status expenditures within the jurisdiction of her Prince’s domain
A Harpy (or Master Harpy) gains the abiding status traits Prominent, Noble, and Guardian during her tenure in the office. A Lesser Harpy gains no abiding status of her own, but temporarily gains the abiding status Guardian at her local gathering, if the Master Harpy is not in attendance.
Social Warfare in the Camarilla
Violence in open court is detested. Kindred are expected to be in control over their Beasts and can’t simply slug someone who insults them. Social miscreants who resort to this crude behavior quickly incur the wrath of the Harpies and everyone else in the domain invested in the social order of the Ivory Tower. Ignoring the accepted protocol of society is a direct affront to the entire concept of the Camarilla and cannot be tolerated, lest the idea spread that such behavior is viable. Of course, what happens outside of the eyes of the court is another matter entirely.
Note of Caution: Avoid Bleed
Harpy players should exercise caution to ensure that their characters direct their biting comments at the mistakes of other characters, but never at the players themselves. Always keep the distinction between the character and player in mind.
Keeper of Elysium
Elysium is a place designated by the Prince of a city as one of the few places where Kindred can interact with their peers and be reasonably secure from violence. It is an honor to be responsible for such a sacred place. The Keeper of Elysium has impressive powers, but can only use them within certain strictly delimited boundaries. In the confines of Elysium, the Keeper has the authority to take whatever actions she feels are necessary to preserve the Masquerade and the sanctity of Elysium. Keepers are charged with the physical security of Elysium as well as the societal ramifications of what transpires there.
The Keeper of Elysium must approve all gatherings held in Elysium and may deny, without notice, any function, event, or party on Elysium if she believes that it would be a threat to the Masquerade or the attending Kindred. Residents of a domain derive prestige, power, and pleasure from events held in Elysium. Kindred love to hold business dealings and entertain visiting dignitaries from distant domains in impressive Elysiums as a symbol of power for their domain. Prestige-conscious social climbers request permission to host balls and exhibits in a beautiful Elysium. And, of course, those who wish to speak with the Prince must often enter Elysium to do so.
Additionally, the Keeper is expected to control the presence of weapons within Elysium. As such, she has the right to search any Kindred who requests entrance, and to deny entrance to anyone she pleases under the authority of her post. This includes refusing her Prince entry; the Keeper’s powers overrule the Prince’s authority on Elysium grounds (though exercising this authority capriciously or unwisely almost always leads to problems).
A Keeper of Elysium’s authority includes:
• Removing weapons from Kindred on Elysium
• Using any force necessary to defend Elysium
• Exiling the undesirable from the Elysium
• Commanding all mortals (including Retainers) within Elysium
• Holding immunity from prosecution from the Prince or Harpy when in defense of Elysium
• Holding status jurisdiction in the Elysiums within her Prince’s physical domain
A Keeper of Elysium gains the abiding status traits Enforcer and Guardian during her tenure in office.
Sheriff
The function of a Sheriff is to serve as the Prince’s chief enforcer, policing the Kindred community for violations of the Traditions. Though Princes are increasingly employing cautious, tactically savvy enforcers and investigators, common wisdom continues to cast the Sheriff as the Prince’s best thug.
In addition to repairing violations of the Masquerade – a task made more vital and dangerous by the rise of public media and the hunter threat – the Sheriff must always be prepared to defend the domain in time of crisis. Sheriffs and their deputies visit communal and trending hunting grounds to ensure that everything is suitably quiet. They listen to EMTs, the police, the local media, and similar sources for rumors of suspicious occurrences.
During wartime, the Sheriff is often called upon to be the local warlord, coordinating the domain’s actions and personally leading the battle. A Sheriff may select deputies to assist her in this task, granting them authority for the evening. Most Sheriffs see the Scourge’s duties as encroaching on their jurisdiction, so the two positions rarely get along. The rest of the city’s Kindred usually just try to stay out of their way.
A Prince typically expects the majority of her court officers to use elegant solutions, but the Sheriff is allowed a certain amount of leniency in this regard. Problems sometimes require physical resolution, and as long as Final Death is not reached, the Prince and the Primogen will look the other way when the Sheriff bends the rules. If the object of the Sheriff’s ire is disliked, the Harpy might even gleefully reveal the details of her punishment to the entire court. A crafty Sheriff knows where the line is between doing her job and offending the court.
A Sheriff’s authority includes:
• Protecting and repairing the Masquerade
• Appointing up to two temporary deputies into her service
• Preparing and carrying out strategies for a military crisis
• Combatting the Sabbat or other enemies of the sect
• Protecting the Prince within her domain
• Holding status jurisdiction in her Prince’s physical domain
A Sheriff gains the abiding status traits Enforcer and Privileged during her tenure in office.
Scourge
The Scourge is charged with culling the city of undesirable vampires, specifically those created without the Prince’s permission; often these undesirables include Caitiff and other thin-blooded vampires. Many cities have refused to institute a Scourge, but a number of Princes leveraged the fear of the infamous “Time of Thin Blood” prophesied in the Book of Nod to add to their muscle. Princes sometimes secretly use the Scourge to eliminate enemies.
Some claim that the station of Scourge is an ancient post dating back to the Dark Ages resurrected in modern times, others argue that it is an entirely new creation. Regardless of the historical truth, in cities where a Scourge stalks the night, she is a mythic bogeyman and source of fear for illegitimate vampires.
The Ivory Tower treats the position with a certain amount of disdain. Many humane Kindred actively shun those who serve as Scourge, calling them unredeemable slaughterers. The few Kindred who attempt to keep the Scourge fully integrated in Camarilla society are rarely appreciated by either the Scourge or their fellow Kindred.
On a typical night, a Scourge may travel to dismal, lesspopulated parts of the city. There, she searches for signs of fugitives, such as rats and stray dogs drained of blood or street people who are more jumpy than usual. Some Scourges set traps, while others hunt Caitiff down like beasts. Some Princes demand the prey be brought back alive for questioning, in hopes of learning who sired the childe. Others are content to see the heads or fangs of the night’s take. Occasionally, sometimes based on a rumor or a tip, sometimes not, the Scourge visits the city’s regular Kindred, looking to see if they are harboring illegally created childer.
On such occasions, wise Scourges are even more cautious than normal, since older vampires are far more cunning and dangerous than the fledglings they normally hunt.
A Scourge’s authority includes:
• Destroying vampires who are not Acknowledged by the Camarilla
• Combatting the Sabbat or other enemies of the sect
• Holding status jurisdiction in her Prince’s physical domain
A Scourge gains the abiding status trait Enforcer during her tenure in office.
