Tenure
The power of Tenure gives a vampire an uncanny awareness of his surroundings. He knows where people and things are, even if he can’t see them — including any intruders. Everything around him subtly cooperates to help him and hinder his foes. A Kindred with Tenure simply becomes more effective at everything he does — and other Kindred find the very land turning against them, if they trespass on the Landlord’s Demesne.
Annunaku legends tell of elder Landlords who called up storms or earthquakes in their Demesnes, who could hear every word spoken by their tenants or who could appear anywhere in their fiefdom in an instant. Some of these powers may be higher-level expressions of Tenure, attainable only by elders of high Blood Potency. Others sound like Devotions. If such powers exist, they only work within a Demesne mystically bonded to an Annunaku (see the sidebar).
Tenure and Obfuscate
Tenure has aspects in common with Auspex. Like that Discipline, Tenure may sometimes penetrate the concealment of Obfuscate, or Obfuscate may sometimes hide a person or object from Tenure. When a character with Tenure attempts to find someone or something hidden by Obfuscate, make a contested roll of the Tenure-user’s Wits + Investigation + Tenure versus the Obfuscate-user’s Resolve + Stealth + Obfuscate. (See the “Clash of Wills” sidebar on p. 119 of Vampire: The Requiem for more about this kind of supernatural contest.) Whoever accumulates the most successes wins the mystical battle. Ties go to the defender. Most of the time, ties result in an Obfuscated object or person remaining hidden (as the Tenure user is the initiator). If a vampire tried using Obfuscate right in front of Kindred with Tenure, however, the hiding character becomes the challenger, since he’s trying to hide himself (or some object) in plain sight.
Any vampire can command a domain granted by the Prince or some other influential Kindred. For purposes of Tenure, however, a Demesne is more narrowly defined and harder to obtain. Annunaku call this Demesne a kur, an ancient word that can mean a mountain, the earth in general, a foreign land or the Underworld of the dead.
To turn his territory into a proper kur, an Annunaku must dwell within her hoped-for Demesne for at least a year. She must also obtain significant power over the mortals who live or work within her Demesne. Such power may come from respect, fear, dependence or other means, but at least a large fraction of the mortals must believe the vampire has some power over them (though they don’t have to know she’s a vampire). For instance, an undead gang leader could terrify the mortals in a neighborhood into accepting that they live on his “turf” and they’d better not cross him or any of his gang members. A vampire who poses as a community activist could obtain similar respect because the mortals in her Demesne expect her to speak for them in civic affairs. A vampire who owns a business can certainly claim it as her Demesne: her mortal employees know perfectly well that they work in a building or grounds that belong to someone else.
In game terms, a character needs at least three dots in Merits that represent her power in her chosen territory. The business owner could fulfill the requirement through Resources, the community activist through Contacts and City Status and the gang leader through Herd or Retainers, representing his gang of thugs. The Storyteller, however, has final say on whether a character has accumulated enough power to turn a region into a kur and how far the Demesne extends.
Finally, the character must prepare at least three “border-stones,” or kudurru, to use the ancient Mesopotamian term. Kudurru do not need to be made of stone (though it’s traditional): a tree, a metal trash can or a square of sidewalk could work just as well. The kudurru must touch the earth to be mystically effective, though. Borderstones must be spaced as far apart from each other as possible, at the end points of the Demesne.
All Annunaku kudurru bear scratched or etched markings that an occultist might understand with a successful Intelligence + Occult roll. These are the names of ancient gods, in a distorted form of cuneiform writing. Preparing a single kudurru requires six successes on an extended Dexterity + Crafts action to construct the stone. Each roll represents one day or night of work and costs a Willpower point. A character can have a number of kudurru up to his permanent Willpower rating (but not less than three may successfully define a kur).
If a border-stone is destroyed, the character instantly loses a point of Willpower and instantly knows that his Demesne is under attack. Annunaku usually hide their kudurru or make them difficult to reach or recognize. Aside from defining the area of a Demesne, kudurru are needed for some of the more esoteric powers based on Tenure.
Two Demesnes can never overlap. If two vampires with Tenure want to expand into each other’s territory, they must cajole, terrify or otherwise persuade the mortals in the rival’s kur to accept their mastery instead — or destroy the rival and be done with it.
Annunaku legends tell of elder Landlords who called up storms or earthquakes in their Demesnes, who could hear every word spoken by their tenants or who could appear anywhere in their fiefdom in an instant. Some of these powers may be higher-level expressions of Tenure, attainable only by elders of high Blood Potency. Others sound like Devotions. If such powers exist, they only work within a Demesne mystically bonded to an Annunaku (see the sidebar).
Tenure and Obfuscate
Tenure has aspects in common with Auspex. Like that Discipline, Tenure may sometimes penetrate the concealment of Obfuscate, or Obfuscate may sometimes hide a person or object from Tenure. When a character with Tenure attempts to find someone or something hidden by Obfuscate, make a contested roll of the Tenure-user’s Wits + Investigation + Tenure versus the Obfuscate-user’s Resolve + Stealth + Obfuscate. (See the “Clash of Wills” sidebar on p. 119 of Vampire: The Requiem for more about this kind of supernatural contest.) Whoever accumulates the most successes wins the mystical battle. Ties go to the defender. Most of the time, ties result in an Obfuscated object or person remaining hidden (as the Tenure user is the initiator). If a vampire tried using Obfuscate right in front of Kindred with Tenure, however, the hiding character becomes the challenger, since he’s trying to hide himself (or some object) in plain sight.
Defining a Demesne
Any vampire can command a domain granted by the Prince or some other influential Kindred. For purposes of Tenure, however, a Demesne is more narrowly defined and harder to obtain. Annunaku call this Demesne a kur, an ancient word that can mean a mountain, the earth in general, a foreign land or the Underworld of the dead.To turn his territory into a proper kur, an Annunaku must dwell within her hoped-for Demesne for at least a year. She must also obtain significant power over the mortals who live or work within her Demesne. Such power may come from respect, fear, dependence or other means, but at least a large fraction of the mortals must believe the vampire has some power over them (though they don’t have to know she’s a vampire). For instance, an undead gang leader could terrify the mortals in a neighborhood into accepting that they live on his “turf” and they’d better not cross him or any of his gang members. A vampire who poses as a community activist could obtain similar respect because the mortals in her Demesne expect her to speak for them in civic affairs. A vampire who owns a business can certainly claim it as her Demesne: her mortal employees know perfectly well that they work in a building or grounds that belong to someone else.
In game terms, a character needs at least three dots in Merits that represent her power in her chosen territory. The business owner could fulfill the requirement through Resources, the community activist through Contacts and City Status and the gang leader through Herd or Retainers, representing his gang of thugs. The Storyteller, however, has final say on whether a character has accumulated enough power to turn a region into a kur and how far the Demesne extends.
Finally, the character must prepare at least three “border-stones,” or kudurru, to use the ancient Mesopotamian term. Kudurru do not need to be made of stone (though it’s traditional): a tree, a metal trash can or a square of sidewalk could work just as well. The kudurru must touch the earth to be mystically effective, though. Borderstones must be spaced as far apart from each other as possible, at the end points of the Demesne.
All Annunaku kudurru bear scratched or etched markings that an occultist might understand with a successful Intelligence + Occult roll. These are the names of ancient gods, in a distorted form of cuneiform writing. Preparing a single kudurru requires six successes on an extended Dexterity + Crafts action to construct the stone. Each roll represents one day or night of work and costs a Willpower point. A character can have a number of kudurru up to his permanent Willpower rating (but not less than three may successfully define a kur).
If a border-stone is destroyed, the character instantly loses a point of Willpower and instantly knows that his Demesne is under attack. Annunaku usually hide their kudurru or make them difficult to reach or recognize. Aside from defining the area of a Demesne, kudurru are needed for some of the more esoteric powers based on Tenure.
Two Demesnes can never overlap. If two vampires with Tenure want to expand into each other’s territory, they must cajole, terrify or otherwise persuade the mortals in the rival’s kur to accept their mastery instead — or destroy the rival and be done with it.
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Author's Notes
Storyteller's Option:
The ancient Annunaku bloodline takes the credit for inventing Tenure, a Discipline of power over one’s domain. Yet Tenure is rumored to have spread beyond the bloodline’s ranks. If the Storyteller agrees, other Kindred, especially in the Invictus, might sometimes learn the Discipline from an Annunaku mentor. The Annunaku bloodline is so old and so widespread that such mentors could feasibly be found in any city. Only an Annunaku can teach the powers of Tenure, however. The Discipline cannot simply be “unlocked” from within one’s own blood, and it cannot be learned secondhand.Tenure for All
Except for the Annunaku, however, not many Kindred learn Tenure. The Discipline is most effective for Kindred who possess established territory where they hunt and influence mortal inhabitants. Most Kindred simply haven’t the wherewithal to build personal domains larger than their own havens. Those Kindred who have, of course, often belong to the Invictus.