The Vampire Lords

The law in the Harowlands:
The Harrower: whatever the Dread Lord decrees. No priests, no Gods. Spread the fear. Keep open the Locus to the Underworld. The Lords must pay 10% of population annually.
Arbiters: Nameless. They are servants of the Harrower. They may demand shelter and command obedience in the service of the Harrower. The primary job is hunting out subversion - enemies of the Harrower, priests and god worshipers.

Lords: The vampire clans and blood lines. They are rulers of their domains and determine the laws. The villages are small and everyone knows the thief, the drunk, the beater of spouses. The Dhampir and Nobles are their agents in the day. Attacking Lords and Nobles is a capital crime. Damaging the herd is property crime. The Nobles see to assuring justice in general amongst the population, backed by the Dhampir. Just as the Lords know their herd, the herd know their lords and the rules. Strangers and wandering Blood Mages or Necromancers may think themselves too powerful, clever or otherwise above the local law. Few actually are. Investigation of crimes involves asking witnesses, using mind control to compel the truth and then locating and capturing law breakers. Testimony is presented with the criminal to either the Noble court or the Lord of the Settlement. They may be compelled to confess before sentence announced.

Travel between settlements is limited and typically supervised. Unsupervised is possible but very hazardous. Someone subject to punishment in one settlement may escape it by getting to another settlement. Extradition would be negotiated, if the crimes were judged worth the cost and effort to follow up. Or if the other settlement might suffer from the new resident.

Structure

Each settlement is a fiefdom and has a ruling blood line of Vampires . Each Bloodline is part of a clan who share common outlook, aspect or behavior. The each bloodline and clan is distinct and squabble for position and status amongst themselves. The Lords determine the laws though some things are consistent between settlements. The Lords are the high justices. The Dhampir are the lord's sheriff. They may take any action in the name of the Clan and the Lord of the Settlement. The Sheriff will have a band of deputies or sometimes just a gang of thugs drawn from the lower classes or a noble who likes to "slum". The Nobles are the common low justices overseeing petty things like theft, minor assault.

Culture

The Vampire Lords are predatory packs linked by blood. They may or may not pretend to more human aspects. Their commands may not be disobeyed, only countered or overruled by higher rank Lords.

Punishments are simple:  penalties in food, housing or fines,  beatings and imprisonment in the Lord's tombs or death as a feast offering by Nobles to the Lords or by decree of the Lords.  One reward the Lords dangle out is ascension to Vampire for a very loyal and worthy few.

Public Agenda

The Lords want a steady and reliable herd of humans to feed from. They want as little trouble as possible but may use mortals as tools in their own political maneuvers. In some domains: Safe, happy and healthy citizens make things good for all. In others it is survival of the useful and strong. In other still, humans do as they will but are toys and play things, as well as snacks to the Lords.

History

The Vampire Lords oversee their domains as entertainment and as a livestock operation. Within the population of Vampires there will be several primary founders or older generation vampires, and the spawn of each.  Out of control ferals would be exterminated or cast out, with destruction most likely since they possess powers that would continue to present a threat to the settlement's human population.  The Lords are interested in the continued comfort and power over living humans.  Dhampir possess some powers of their undead kin and some of the abilities of their living ones.  They are second class vampires and overlords to the human nobles.  They would be involved in plots to advance their status, usually in larger towns and cities.

Full rebellion is punished by all the clans on any survivors of settlements that have destroyed their Lords.  Lords of other settlements also take little interest in saving humans in case of disease, fire or flood.

Infrastructure

Each settlement is a walled village - most are multistory compact communities. Larger ones may be clusters of walled villages making communities or domed cities. Outside the main building may be walled compounds for livestock of human use.

Tulou Yuquinglou - Picture of Yuqinglou Hostel, Yongding Count by Quanito, Nogent-sur-marne, FR