The Carthian Movement (KAR-thee-enn)
Undeniably the youngest of the major Kindred covenants, the Carthians are fire-eyed reformists, eager to bring the establishment to its knees if that’s what it takes to facilitate positive political change. If the unbound are the irritable loners and Individualists, then the Carthians are their politically motivated counterparts, the Young Turks who seek to shake up the Status quo with the honesty of their passion and the ingenuity of their ideas. Due to the prevalence of young Kindred in the modern age, the Carthian Movement sees quite a bit of support worldwide.
If the Carthians have a single enemy among the Damned, it is calcification. Change is vital to all social systems. Therefore, many Carthians fear the elders of their kind. This is not because they think elders pose a direct threat, but because elders are the most stagnant members of their race, the least capable of hearing or accepting new ideas. For this reason, many sub-movements of the Carthian cause have some strict policies about who can and can’t join, as they fear their dreams might become the target of some elder’s Crusade.
For the most part, they’re right. Most elder vampires have little to no interest in seeing a bunch of neonates summarily rearrange the power structure that’s been in place for centuries, and in so doing strip elders of their patiently cultivated power and influence. Vampires are nasty, predatory creatures who only grow nastier and more predatory with age, and few elders appreciate this latest “fad” among neonates. As a result, the Carthian Movement has become the scapegoat of choice for powerful elders. Were it not for the presence of some great minds within the Movement (as well as a few elders of other covenants), the faction might well collapse under the weight of tradition. All the same, the Movement has met with at least limited success in some areas, and much like a persistent union, the Carthians have begun to show some marked gains simply by remaining patient and playing the game as it must be played. Their democratic notions aren’t loved by everyone, but what the Carthians lack in wisdom and support, they tend to make up for in passion and unity (though they, too, indulge in their fair share of fractiousness and infighting).
When a vampire comes to the Carthian cause, he typically does so out of a genuine desire to see some radical changes implemented in the secret world of the Damned. As might be expected, the most numerous (and vocal) clan in the Movement is the Mekhet, many of whom are drawn by the opportunity the covenant presents. Many consider the covenant to be the last and best chance for positive relations between Kindred and kine, and as such, a few are willing to do anything to make sure the Movement thrives and survives. While most Ventrue normally shy away from anything Carthian, a number of Nosferatu and Daeva can be found at Carthian gatherings — the former out of appreciation for a venue in which fear can motivate, and the latter out of a vampiric desire to involve themselves in the affairs of others.
This philosophy revolves around two core concepts that give the cause its fire.
Power to the People
The first and most important tenet of the Carthian cause is that any model of government that works for mortals is applicable to Kindred. Democracy in particular is the cornerstone of Carthian thinking, because it gives each individual a say in the affairs and administration of the people as a whole. Socialism is a popular model, too. Due to the relatively small scale of vampire society, many consider socialism more feasible for Kindred to adopt than it might be for mortals. Carthians detest the notion of rule by divine mandate (perceived or otherwise), and they strive to convince those in power that existing structures should be examined thoroughly, and then modified or torn down as necessary in order to create a better world for all Kindred. Needless to say, few vampires in positions of power are immediately agreeable. They understand vampiric nature, perhaps all too well, and know that even when Carthians “succeed,” the result is often little more than the undead equivalent of a labor union, and such artificial contrivances are inherently dangerous to Kindred society.
Change Is Necessary
If part of the curse of undeath is stagnation and stasis, then the Kindred must be willing to change and adapt to the times if they are to endure. Dismissing new ideas out of hand simply because they are not what has been done before is the folly of ignorance, and such folly drives the Carthians to bloody tears. If they, at so young an age, can recognize the truth of vampiric existence, then why can’t the elders of their kind? Or is it that those elders have long since forgotten? Whatever the case, the Carthians take it upon themselves to remind their hoary sires and grandsires that no kingdom is forever, and that in time, change comes to every thing in every system — whether it’s desired or not.
The Chain
At almost every Carthian gathering, at some point in the evening, some Kindred (usually the Prefect) steps forward and requests that everyone present take part in a long-standing custom that Carthians call the Chain. The entire rite (such as it is) is over in a matter of moments, so even the most turbulent of Kindred usually acquiesce to their involvement. The idea is simple. All the Carthians present gather in a circle, and following a few inspirational words from the Prefect, each passes a single artifact that is esteemed by the local Carthians to the Kindred beside him, thus forming a symbolic chain representing that what one Kindred does affects all others. The symbolism is blunt but effective. Each vampire in the circle is beholden to the next and responsible for another, but not directly. In this way do the Carthians remind themselves of their outlook, common goals and objectives. Artifacts can be anything, such as a relic of a fallen Carthian leader, an effigy of an enemy or a personal possession of someone soon to be drawn into the Carthian ranks.
Independence Day
The Carthians, being fans of democracy in all its forms, hold a special fondness for Independence Day. The term can be misleading, however, seeing how the celebration day itself is not always on the American holiday, the fourth of July. In countries other than the United States, such as Mexico and France, Carthian vampires typically celebrate on the same date mortals do, so the fifth of May is nearly as common a date of observance, for example. In actual Carthian-dominated domains, the Kindred celebrate the night their dream of a new world came to pass. The victory of an alternate political model is both rare and wondrous in the world of the Damned, and the Carthians revel in remembering the night of its advent. When free to do so, Carthians can get quite rowdy, and their parties are truly legendary.
Prefect
The Kindred in charge of much of the night-to-night running of Carthian operations in a given city is known as the Prefect. In most every case, the Prefect is elected (in whatever form that takes) by a majority of other Carthians, with the exception of any active Myrmidon, who traditionally abstains from such voting. The Prefect is at once the spokesperson for the Movement in his domain, the “chair” and organizer of Carthian events, and the one responsible for making sure that no single faction member’s actions jeopardize the others. The Prefect must therefore have some public relations savvy, as it is to him that the Prince inevitably turns when a Carthian is suspected of some wrongdoing. While the Prefect carries considerable sway among his confederates, he is not their leader in either name or truth, and most prefer the relationship that way.
Myrmidon
The majority of incarnations of the Carthian experiment involve Kindred getting together and democratically parceling out both feeding rights and potential dispute resolutions. As such, the need quickly arises for an entirely “neutral party” to help maintain order and restore peaceable negotiations to the table, when necessary. A Carthian known as a Myrmidon fills this role. Although The Myrmidon works very closely with the Prefect, he is not the Prefect’s “right-hand man,” despite appearances to the contrary. Rather, he is the one who often acts as intermediary between two quarreling Carthians or between a Carthian and a non-Carthian of no political importance. Given the Prefect’s duties to the cause, The Myrmidon can and often does end up acting as the one enforcing the Prefect’s duties, simply by virtue of the fact that nobody else could do it without cry of foul.
Overview
Carthians are full of ideas. They see brave new possibilities and models for Kindred self-rule that they believe were heretofore unimagined before they arrived on the scene, and they long to share those ideas with others — especially with those whom they believe keep the covenant and its ideas down. Few stop to wonder whether the existing Status quo (whatever and wherever it might be) has endured for a reason. Most are content to challenge it for the sake of trying to accomplish something positive in a world as bleak as the Kindred’s.If the Carthians have a single enemy among the Damned, it is calcification. Change is vital to all social systems. Therefore, many Carthians fear the elders of their kind. This is not because they think elders pose a direct threat, but because elders are the most stagnant members of their race, the least capable of hearing or accepting new ideas. For this reason, many sub-movements of the Carthian cause have some strict policies about who can and can’t join, as they fear their dreams might become the target of some elder’s Crusade.
For the most part, they’re right. Most elder vampires have little to no interest in seeing a bunch of neonates summarily rearrange the power structure that’s been in place for centuries, and in so doing strip elders of their patiently cultivated power and influence. Vampires are nasty, predatory creatures who only grow nastier and more predatory with age, and few elders appreciate this latest “fad” among neonates. As a result, the Carthian Movement has become the scapegoat of choice for powerful elders. Were it not for the presence of some great minds within the Movement (as well as a few elders of other covenants), the faction might well collapse under the weight of tradition. All the same, the Movement has met with at least limited success in some areas, and much like a persistent union, the Carthians have begun to show some marked gains simply by remaining patient and playing the game as it must be played. Their democratic notions aren’t loved by everyone, but what the Carthians lack in wisdom and support, they tend to make up for in passion and unity (though they, too, indulge in their fair share of fractiousness and infighting).
Members
The Carthians embody the youngest generation of Kindred, even more so than The Unaligned. The vast majority of self-proclaimed Carthians are neonates, with a smattering of wily ancillae who have either achieved some measure of power or satisfaction from their efforts as part of the covenant, or who are simply too afraid to abandon the faction after so many years and relations forged (or destroyed). Once in a while, the rare elder emerges with ties to the Carthian Movement, but by and large elders simply scowl at the very idea of it all.When a vampire comes to the Carthian cause, he typically does so out of a genuine desire to see some radical changes implemented in the secret world of the Damned. As might be expected, the most numerous (and vocal) clan in the Movement is the Mekhet, many of whom are drawn by the opportunity the covenant presents. Many consider the covenant to be the last and best chance for positive relations between Kindred and kine, and as such, a few are willing to do anything to make sure the Movement thrives and survives. While most Ventrue normally shy away from anything Carthian, a number of Nosferatu and Daeva can be found at Carthian gatherings — the former out of appreciation for a venue in which fear can motivate, and the latter out of a vampiric desire to involve themselves in the affairs of others.
Philosophy
The foundation of the Carthian Movement is the notion that vampires needn’t accept the Status quo unthinkingly. While these Kindred recognize that they’re being Embraced into a world with its own secret history and traditions, they don’t feel that they have to accept that history and those traditions simply because someone older than them says they do. Rather, they believe that every man can and must have a voice, in death as he did in life, and that voice must be heard in order for peace or justice to prevail in the system — any system.This philosophy revolves around two core concepts that give the cause its fire.
Power to the People
The first and most important tenet of the Carthian cause is that any model of government that works for mortals is applicable to Kindred. Democracy in particular is the cornerstone of Carthian thinking, because it gives each individual a say in the affairs and administration of the people as a whole. Socialism is a popular model, too. Due to the relatively small scale of vampire society, many consider socialism more feasible for Kindred to adopt than it might be for mortals. Carthians detest the notion of rule by divine mandate (perceived or otherwise), and they strive to convince those in power that existing structures should be examined thoroughly, and then modified or torn down as necessary in order to create a better world for all Kindred. Needless to say, few vampires in positions of power are immediately agreeable. They understand vampiric nature, perhaps all too well, and know that even when Carthians “succeed,” the result is often little more than the undead equivalent of a labor union, and such artificial contrivances are inherently dangerous to Kindred society.
Change Is Necessary
If part of the curse of undeath is stagnation and stasis, then the Kindred must be willing to change and adapt to the times if they are to endure. Dismissing new ideas out of hand simply because they are not what has been done before is the folly of ignorance, and such folly drives the Carthians to bloody tears. If they, at so young an age, can recognize the truth of vampiric existence, then why can’t the elders of their kind? Or is it that those elders have long since forgotten? Whatever the case, the Carthians take it upon themselves to remind their hoary sires and grandsires that no kingdom is forever, and that in time, change comes to every thing in every system — whether it’s desired or not.
Rituals and Observances
While the Carthians are considerably less ritualistic than either The Lancea Sanctum or The Circle of the Crone, they still have their share of sacred practices. More often than not, Carthian “rites” revolve around politics, and what starts as a debate can easily turn into a ritual depending on the Kindred involved.The Chain
At almost every Carthian gathering, at some point in the evening, some Kindred (usually the Prefect) steps forward and requests that everyone present take part in a long-standing custom that Carthians call the Chain. The entire rite (such as it is) is over in a matter of moments, so even the most turbulent of Kindred usually acquiesce to their involvement. The idea is simple. All the Carthians present gather in a circle, and following a few inspirational words from the Prefect, each passes a single artifact that is esteemed by the local Carthians to the Kindred beside him, thus forming a symbolic chain representing that what one Kindred does affects all others. The symbolism is blunt but effective. Each vampire in the circle is beholden to the next and responsible for another, but not directly. In this way do the Carthians remind themselves of their outlook, common goals and objectives. Artifacts can be anything, such as a relic of a fallen Carthian leader, an effigy of an enemy or a personal possession of someone soon to be drawn into the Carthian ranks.
Independence Day
The Carthians, being fans of democracy in all its forms, hold a special fondness for Independence Day. The term can be misleading, however, seeing how the celebration day itself is not always on the American holiday, the fourth of July. In countries other than the United States, such as Mexico and France, Carthian vampires typically celebrate on the same date mortals do, so the fifth of May is nearly as common a date of observance, for example. In actual Carthian-dominated domains, the Kindred celebrate the night their dream of a new world came to pass. The victory of an alternate political model is both rare and wondrous in the world of the Damned, and the Carthians revel in remembering the night of its advent. When free to do so, Carthians can get quite rowdy, and their parties are truly legendary.
Titles and Duties
Unlike the other covenants, whose titles often coincide with those of standard positions of authority, the titles of important figures in the Carthian Movement denote levels of responsibility and respect, rather than true authority.Prefect
The Kindred in charge of much of the night-to-night running of Carthian operations in a given city is known as the Prefect. In most every case, the Prefect is elected (in whatever form that takes) by a majority of other Carthians, with the exception of any active Myrmidon, who traditionally abstains from such voting. The Prefect is at once the spokesperson for the Movement in his domain, the “chair” and organizer of Carthian events, and the one responsible for making sure that no single faction member’s actions jeopardize the others. The Prefect must therefore have some public relations savvy, as it is to him that the Prince inevitably turns when a Carthian is suspected of some wrongdoing. While the Prefect carries considerable sway among his confederates, he is not their leader in either name or truth, and most prefer the relationship that way.
Myrmidon
The majority of incarnations of the Carthian experiment involve Kindred getting together and democratically parceling out both feeding rights and potential dispute resolutions. As such, the need quickly arises for an entirely “neutral party” to help maintain order and restore peaceable negotiations to the table, when necessary. A Carthian known as a Myrmidon fills this role. Although The Myrmidon works very closely with the Prefect, he is not the Prefect’s “right-hand man,” despite appearances to the contrary. Rather, he is the one who often acts as intermediary between two quarreling Carthians or between a Carthian and a non-Carthian of no political importance. Given the Prefect’s duties to the cause, The Myrmidon can and often does end up acting as the one enforcing the Prefect’s duties, simply by virtue of the fact that nobody else could do it without cry of foul.
Culture
Coterie Members
Carthians are both the easiest and the hardest Kindred to get along with. For older and more established Kindred, as well as those with experience in Kindred Realpolitik, the Carthians’ fervent dedication to higher ideals seems naïve and often dangerously foolish. Their strong secular focus also tends to rankle the more devout members of The Lancea Sanctum and Circle of The Crone. On the other hand, younger Kindred, and those with no power, Status or influence, are often intrigued by the Carthian ideal. After all, the equality of opportunity that the covenant proposes tends to resonate most strongly with those who stand to gain from it, rather than those who stand to loose.Those Kindred who join coteries with Carthians for reasons other than interest in their political ideals often find the Carthians trying Allies. Carthians are nothing if not willing to discuss politics and ideals, and this can quickly become taxing.
Many young Kindred of other covenants speak with Carthians at least in passing, and from these relationships coteries sometimes form. Elders of other covenants tend to look down their noses at such coteries, troubled that the Carthians might seduce members to their vainly idealistic movement. Some sires, however, see this as a valuable learning experience for their childer. They know that the cold, harsh realities of the real world will eventually shatter whatever fancies with which their childe’s Carthian associates have filled her head.
This is not to say that all Carthian ideas are doomed to fail or that all mixed-covenant coteries that contain Carthians are dedicated to rebelling against the power structure or seducing members of other covenants. Many Carthians use cosmopolitan coteries (even those that contain no Carthians) as examples of how cooperation between Kindred can lead to something bigger and better. Of course, most other Kindred shrug this off and claim that similar cooperation can never work on a grander scale. From time to time, however, the Carthians illustrate their points when a mixed-covenant coterie accomplishes something that a single-covenant coterie has been unable to do.
What Carthians most often have to offer mixed-covenant coteries is a connection to and Contacts among mortal society. Many Carthians are relatively young, and most of them tend to maintain at least some connection to the mortal world — something a Dragon sorcerer or Acolyte cultist might have neglected.
For their part, Carthians tend to enjoy cosmopolitan coteries. Anything that fosters understanding between Kindred is positive as far as they are concerned, and it can be used as an object lesson. Such coteries can also help Carthian members learn more about other covenants and influence nascent leaders within these covenants toward a more open and equal distribution of power. In cities dominated by Carthians, mixedcovenant coteries are much more common than normal, as the city leadership actively encourages such cooperation. The same is true in those domains where the revolution has become its own enemy as well, because the leaders want spies in other factions.
In fact, the Carthians’ appreciation of the cosmopolitan coterie goes so far as to quiet the normally verbose members of the covenant when the subject of politics come up. The Carthians believe that their ideas are validated by the mere existence of a cosmopolitan coterie and that other Kindred will realize what this means on their own in due time.
Nomads
The Carthians establish alternatives to traditional vampire politics, experimenting with new ideas and social orders. Typically more egalitarian than other vampires, they forsake the conventional interpretations of Kindred society to create idealistic new domains. The covenant’s strongholds usually benefit by welcoming certain types of nomads. Other covenants may reject such wanderers, but for Carthians, the fluid and open-minded nature of their society makes it easier to actually recruit nomads into their crusades than oppose them. Should the covenant fail to achieve their goals in a particular city, Carthians occasionally immerse themselves in the nomadic lifestyle, becoming wanderers looking for the opportunity to build again.The most dangerous Carthians do not forsake cities: they assault them. Carthian nomads lay the groundwork, spreading idealistic fervor and scouting out opportunity as they travel. After entering a city unannounced and well-armed, they gather as much information as they can about local politics, disseminating it by e-mail and cell phones to Allies in distant locales. Once they understand the local conflicts, they can then seek out other discontented and disaffected vampires, offering alternatives to the city’s traditional politics. Few of these revolutions lead to outright war against Primogen and Princes, but if heated words come to blows, the covenant can mobilize troops quickly. These revolutionaries then fade into the night, escaping justice as they take to the road once more.
Carthians in Road Coteries
The Carthian Movement isn’t egalitarian by design, but out of necessity. Its continual Crusade is a locally organized movement, with coteries coordinating within individual domains to seize more power and territory for their covenant. Many of them do not share the same approach to politics, but they still share the same motivation — they are united in their opposition to the anachronistic convention of feudal praxis.Power in the covenant isn’t invested in a few elders; instead, everyone has a role to play and a say in the government that results. Unlike the static powerbase of The Invictus or The Lancea Sanctum, Carthian power is fluid, recruiting troops and coteries that can move from one city to another as they are needed. Many Carthian nomads aren’t mere outcasts; they’re idealists. In fact, they’re the strength of their covenant, able to mobilize and flash into action with a speed older and established covenants find difficult to match.
Sometimes a Carthian (or a coterie of them) will travel with a coterie just long enough to reach the next city. Traveling from one city to another is dangerous enough that wanderers often set politics aside on the road, since everyone in the group has a common interest in survival. Nomads outside the covenant often don’t give a damn about who rules this city or that one, so they’re happy to have a little extra muscle or firepower with them regardless of the philosophy attached as they wander from one destination to the next. Once they arrive at their destination, nomads can then ask for protection long enough to heal, feed and refuel.
In a Carthian hot spot, someone’s often entering or leaving. Nomads can make a good living making sure that their Carthian Allies reach their destinations. This is common knowledge among long-time nomads, and something seasoned veterans keep in mind when they’re in the area. Whether the Carthians “win or lose” is not as important as the opportunities this situation presents to the enterprising nomad in need of Resources.
Scouts
The lands between cities hide scattered populations of vampires experimenting with new social orders. A Carthian in a coterie can’t help but be fascinated by such efforts and curious enough to learn more. A clever Carthian has a keen eye for politics and a sharp eye for psychology. While working with a coterie, he typically has the best insight into how the society works, as well as reasons it may fail.
With each petty domain or territory coterie the players’ character encounter, this vampire may find what she seeks… or summon the outrage to tear it all down. Scouts seek out potential in isolated covenants and weaknesses in established, city-based groups. Information is crucial to the cause, so a Carthian can gain prestige by updating the leaders of the covenant with what she finds.
Rabble-Rousers
Nomad coteries blaze trails from one domain to the next, entering and leaving as they please. Daeva, Ventrue and other social creatures who enter a city for the first time possess talents for sizing up the local Prince, Primogen and other functionaries quickly, but a Carthian may have greater sympathy for the marginalized, ostracized, outcast and exploited.
Any coterie exploring a new city should hear all interpretations of local politics. The coterie’s Carthian stands the best chance of finding the word on the street. If they need some leverage against the rulers of that domain, she’s also the best candidate to rouse enough rabble to cause some trouble.
Once a scout has found an opportunity for exploitation, rabblerousers build on the groundwork for revolution, looking for sympathizers to the cause. They act as political idealists and evangelists, spreading revolutionary ideas and doubt regarding the established rules and their architects. They might make their speeches openly at Kindred gatherings, shouting in a sequestered Elysium away from the mortal populace, or they could choose to organize furtive gatherings, inviting a select few to attend. Either way, they are guarded by the very forces they strive against.
Mercenaries
Once enough sympathy to the Carthian Movement is present in a city, the covenant needs to gather enough power to make its platforms a viable alternative to the structure already in place. Elder Carthians stay in the same city for decades, continually brokering power until the opportunity to advance politically approaches. When reason and intrigue fail, though, the Carthians need muscle. Carthian mercenaries mobilize, bringing force of arms to protect Carthian leaders, property and domains.
Because of the feudal nature of most cities, the covenant can actually hold one or two areas in the city as a staging group for their troops. The presence of Carthians in a domain doesn’t need to lead to all-out war in the streets, but the threat of troops in a domain means that those in power would do well to pursue a solution or accommodation to the Carthians — if they fight, they’ll pay.
Diplomats A Carthian does not have to believe that violence solves every political struggle. When Carthians rule a city, they need diplomats to liaise with Kindred of other covenants. When the covenant is strong in a city but not the dominant power, elders can make demands of the local Prince and Primogen (or other vampiric rulers). Once rabble-rousers have gained sympathy and mercenaries are in position, courtiers and diplomats articulate exactly what increase in power the covenant wants. Because of the democratic nature of this covenant, diplomats also excel at sizing up the demands and needs of a disparate group of Carthians. Egalitarianism is a nice ideal, but accommodating everyone is a supreme challenge.
Champions
When the Carthian Movement controls a domain, there’s work to be done building a working conspiracy of vampires in the area. Carthian champions move into “conquered” or “converted” cities and do everything they can to make sure the city prospers. This could involve investigating supernatural threats that threaten the local Damned, leading suppressive strikes against rival covenants, enforcing the Masquerade or any number of shortterm tasks that help consolidate security and strength.
In the mind of covenant champions, the covenant’s Crusade never ends. As such champions rarely stay in one city for long. There’s always another city that needs more help than the last one they left. Holding a domain is a task for those who like to stay in cities; champions go where they are needed most. When a champion’s efforts fail, returning to a nomadic existence is a good way to avoid the vengeance of one’s enemies — at least until another local chapter of the Carthian Movement has an opportunity to seize a domain.
Assets
Artifacts
The Carthian Movement, as a secular organization, has little or no official interest in mystical artifacts and relics. The value attached to certain items is not based on any imbued power, but rather on the historical significance of the treasure and the force of the argument the imbued item presents. That isn’t to say that Carthians won’t kill or die to get their hands on some of the items listed here. There’s a lot of prestige attached to owning a particularly moving piece, and some Kindred have made their careers in the Movement by displaying a priceless treasure during their campaigns for power.History
Laws
The core of the Carthian Movement is society. Carthians see themselves as a collective of diverse Kindred, rather than just a diverse collection of Kindred. It’s a fine distinction, but a real one, inasmuch as it’s an ideology that leads the Carthians to pull together instead of pulling apart in myriad individual directions. The Movement is not a tool that earnest members use to advance themselves. The Movement is a purpose that envelops them and advances everyone within it.
Belonging to a group so centered on synergy has advantages, and if they’re not always as flashy as occult conjurations and miracles of Vitae, they’re nevertheless reliable and Masquerade-compatible. Even better, the Carthians aren’t selling their souls to get them.
And yet, the Carthians have power as a covenant that is, in some ways, more dangerous than Theban Sorcery and more insidious than The Coils of the Dragon. The practice of Carthian Law allows these Kindred to place restrictions on what their fellow vampires may do within their domains. These laws aren’t simply tenets, held in place only by say-so and perceived threat of consequence. When Carthians gather, Kindred Disciplines, the hallmark of vampiric existence, falter. And, most of the time, neither the victim nor the Carthians have any idea what is happening.
The following sections explain what the Laws do, who is affected by them and to what degree and why the Laws function. Before reading on, however, understand that before implementing Carthian Law, the Storyteller needs to make a few decisions about how it works and what the limits of the Law are (hopefully with some input from the players). The Laws are presented in terms of possibility rather than fact. Similar to the Carthian Movement as a whole, Carthian Law is still in flux.
In many ways, the Laws represent the notion of citizenship so prized in many Carthian domains. A citizen can use her Disciplines freely, or at least, more freely than a non-citizen. A citizen is accountable to the Laws, but is given the benefit of the doubt. A non-citizen is an outsider, and thus cannot act with impunity.
To put this into practice somewhat, consider the following scenario: A Ventrue of The Lancea Sanctum enters a Carthian domain and runs afoul of the city’s Myrmidon. The Myrmidon orders the Sanctified Kindred to stand down and submit to a search and an Interrogation. The Ventrue, believing himself to be on a mission from God and thus not accountable to such lowly concerns (and believing himself able to take on The Myrmidon and win) attempts to cast the Theban Sorcery ritual Blood Scourge. He cuts his palm, wills the blood to come — and nothing happens.
Why did the ritual fail? Because in this domain, Carthian Law is dominant. The ritual that the Sanctified Kindred was attempting to use is against the rules, and so it failed. (How this functions in terms of game mechanics is discussed below.) The Sanctified Kindred doesn’t feel anything working against him. The ritual felt as though it should have succeeded — he cut his palm in the same way as always, but the blood lash just didn’t come. Likewise, The Myrmidon is unaware that she did anything mystical (and, in all probability, doesn’t know what the intruder was trying to do, unless she has had contact with the Sanctified and has seen that ritual in use before). All she knows is that the intruder drew a Knife and slashed open his palm as though expecting something to happen.
A vampire in violation of a Law doesn’t set off any mystical sense to the Carthians. That is, if a vampire creeps up behind a Carthian and attempts to stake him with a Vigor-enhanced attack, the Law does not protect the Carthian because the Carthian has not perceived the breach of the Law (see the “Precepts,” above). That said, a Carthian does not have to know the Law to enforce it, just as a vampire is still beholden to the Law even if she is ignorant of it.
As stated in the Precepts, the Law applies only to Disciplines. The Law stating “Kindred may not creep invisibly through the Elysium, but must announce themselves and obtain permission before entering” would prohibit a vampire from using Obfuscate to sneak in or even using Dominate to force a guard to grant her entry, but would not stop her from simply picking a lock and sneaking past said guard. Likewise, Coils of the Dragon are exempt from the Law because they are permanent changes to vampire, not abilities that the vampire turns on and off. This is why the Laws function on Disciplines such as Resilience and Vigor. Even though they simply enhance the vampire’s natural physical prowess, they must be activated by the power of the Blood, and this makes them susceptible to the Law.
In cities where the Carthian Movement has held sway for a long period of time, the city has probably undergone a great deal of change as the Kindred in charge take on different mindsets, enact various political and governmental experiments and mimic (and pervert) various mortal institutions. This has an effect on the Law as well. Over time, the Law becomes so dense and arcane than only vampires who have dwelled in the city for many years or who make a concerted study of the Law can hope to fully understand it. Such vampires can sometimes bring to bear the more powerful effects of the Law even without the support of other Carthians. Also, these knowledgeable vampires are able to find loopholes in the Law, allowing them to dodge its effects. These Kindred typically enjoy a great deal of Status within the city, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes a cipher, a vampire who attends Carthian meetings but never speaks and is seldom seen outside of these gatherings, actually knows the Law better than anyone else in the city, Prefect or other leaders included. Such vampires are also the most likely to understand that the Law has a mystical effect at all (as stated, most of the time the Law goes completely unnoticed). The Carthian Lawyer Merit (p. 184) represents a character who, no what extent she understands the true nature of Carthian Law, has learned to manipulate it.
A domain without any formal leader allows for the enforcement of the Law only if some actual tenets have been discussed and agreed upon. As stated in the Precepts, an unspoken law or one that “everyone knows” (when no one actually said it or agreed to it) doesn’t count for purposes of Carthian Law.
What happens, then, when a powerful or influential Carthian travels to another city? Does he bring the Law with him? Normally, no, but if that character is significantly influential, a power unto himself, he might inadvertently impose the Laws of his home domain upon the one he visits. This is an extremely rare occurrence, however, and typically only happens when the visiting Carthian:
For instance, consider the following scenario: a Carthian Gangrel and an unaligned Daeva come into conflict near a busy intersection. The Gangrel started the fight, for whatever reason (it could be something as simple as the Predator’s Taint or the Gangrel might actually have an agenda). The Daeva, however, activates her Celerity Discipline to flee, dodging in between speeding cars and running away with much more alacrity than any mortal could muster. Both vampires are in breach of the Law, because the Law states “Kindred duels are forbidden except where sanctioned by three citizens” as well as “Kindred may not reveal their supernatural prowess in view of mortals.” Both Kindred are using Disciplines: the Gangrel uses Resilience and Protean to attack the Daeva, and the Daeva uses Celerity to flee. Which one does the Law affect?
In all probability, the Law affects them both. If, however, the Law falls upon only one of their heads, the likelihood is that the Daeva will suffer and the Gangrel will not. Neither of them has a more convincing claim to being “right” under the law than the other — but the Gangrel is a Carthian, and citizenship has its advantages.
If the Gangrel had been acting within a specific office when he attacked the Daeva, perhaps as Hound or Sheriff, he would not be restricted by the Law. This privilege can, of course, be abused, but it can also be revoked.
Carthians might also be exempt from the Law if the Law makes allowance for them. For instance, the Law might read “All citizens may feed at will, but non-citizens must obtain permission.” If “citizen” means “any member of the Carthian Movement,” then even a visiting member of the covenant can feed with impunity. If the domain in question has a measure in place for granting citizenship (and many such domains do), then a Carthian who has not yet obtained citizenship or has had this Status revoked can fall victim to the Law.
Of course, if the Kindred of the city elect or agree upon a given leader, the situation is much more palatable. The leader makes rules in whatever manner the Carthians have decided upon, and, because the other Carthians are part of the governing process by dint of choosing who governs them, they agree to the Law. As leaders and policies change over time, the Laws, too, can change.
Sometimes, though, Laws don’t so much change as accumulate. Why this happens is discussed under “Theories,” below, but the effect of too many Laws in a city is that Disciplines tend to fail even when the Carthians aren’t around to enforce the Law. The Law takes on an agenda of its own, beyond the control or the will of the Carthian Movement. Since so few Carthians are aware of the phenomenon to begin with in this situation, it’s difficult to say what the long-term effects would be to the Kindred in such a city.
By way of example, consider the Nosferatu mentioned above. A few years after his bloody coup, the Kindred of the city are tired of going about their Requiems in fear and conspire to take this tyrant down. They do so, but afterward only a handful of Kindred remain in the city. Since there aren’t many of them, they decide that any rules of existence for the domain must be agreed upon by a majority of vampires at an annual meeting. At the first meeting, one of the Laws passed is that “No Kindred may feed on another Kindred.”
What the Carthians mean when they pass that law is “Attacking Kindred for sustenance or Diablerie is forbidden,” but that’s not what the Law reads, and thus that’s not what’s enforced. Therefore, Kindred lovers drinking each other’s blood in moments of passion fall under the Law’s effects, as do Kindred making deals in which the currency is Vitae. Likewise, a vampire who tries to defend himself against a vampiric attacker by biting and feeding might fall victim to the Law, and in such a circumstance losing access to Disciplines might cost his unlife.
The Carthians probably don’t connect strange failures of Disciplines to the rule they passed, at least not consciously. But a year later, they do amend the rule. Now, it reads “No Kindred may feed on another Kindred without permission.” This would seem to resolve most of the issues, but not all. (Self-defense is still a problem.) Also, even though a majority of the Kindred agreed to the change in the Law, some of them still think in terms of the original rule. The Law has begun to evolve (or mutate, if you prefer). If the cycle keeps up for a decade or more, the original Law may become buried under a heap of amendments, which may or may not come anywhere close to conveying what the original Law was intended to convey.
What effect does this have on the Kindred of the city? As previously mentioned, they might find Disciplines failing at inopportune moments, only because they have violated some obtuse but literal permutation of the Law. The Law might mutate until it affects not only Disciplines, but also the ability to spend Vitae to heal or augment Physical Attributes. (Yes, this is in contradiction of the Precepts given earlier, but that’s the point — the Law might mutate beyond its original boundaries.) Perhaps a ghoul rebels against her master and teaches other mortals about Kindred society and about their rules, eventually yielding an effect that a group of mortal vampire-hunters can enforce the Law as though they were Carthians.
Very few Kindred even recognize that this phenomenon exists, and so the Carthian Movement isn’t exactly rife with speculation (which is probably just as well, because a great number of the members of all of the covenants, Carthians included, would be horrified to learn about the Laws’ effects). As such, the theories presented here are possibilities for you to consider. As a Storyteller, if you wish to bring the Laws into your chronicle as a measurable phenomenon rather than as an invisible effect, these theories might be good discussion points.
Looked at another way, though, the Law could just as easily be a curse. Vampires become their own worst enemies — their Laws can cancel out their greatest advantages. Taken to an extreme, this could create cities where Discipline use, perhaps even feeding on Vitae, violates the Laws and forces all Kindred within the cities’ boundaries to either fall into Torpor or flee.
In a more secular sense, suppose the Law is a survival mechanism. In times past, when cities were farther apart and didn’t contain the same number of identification and security measures that they do now, adopting new identities, even when dealing with other Kindred, was simple. All one had to do was brave the open road for a time. Now, this is more difficult, and so the Kindred need other methods of protection from one another. This last theory is probably most in keeping with the themes of the Carthian Movement in general.
This theory speaks to themes of great potential resting in each individual vampire, but growing as the number of Kindred grows. This doesn’t have to be inspiring or empowering, however. In fact, given that each vampire is a bloodsucking predator, the notion that 10 vampires are exponentially more powerful and subtle than one vampiric is downright horrific.
Every living being — and perhaps every undead being. Assuming that such spirits really do exist and that they can have direct and measurable effects on the world in which vampires dwell, what effects do vampires have upon the soul of a city? Such a spirit might empower Carthian Law. After all, the spirit encompasses the entire city, and thus is theoretically aware of everything that occurs within it, including the decisions that the Carthians make about their Laws. Why would such a being even be interested in the machinations of the undead? Below are three possible reasons.
Using the Laws to stifle other vampires’ Disciplines is called enforcing the Laws. Doing so does not require any special effort on the part of the Carthian character (i.e., all enforcement is reflexive). Indeed, most of the time the Carthians aren’t even aware that Carthian Law exists. All vampires are aware that Disciplines don’t function properly in every single instance, even for elders, just as even an expert marksman might miss a target occasionally. Thus, the fact a vampire’s supernatural power sometimes shuts down in a Carthian city doesn’t raise any eyebrows at the covenant. In game terms, a Discipline ceasing to function because of Carthian Law is treated no differently than a simple failed roll. In the case of Vigor, Resilience and Celerity, which modify other Traits rather than granting specific powers, the character feels stronger, tougher or faster but simply doesn’t gain the benefits.
If all of these criteria are met, the player rolls Intelligence + Resolve + Status (Carthians).
Dramatic Failure: The Law weakens. For the next month, every enforcement attempt suffers a –1 penalty.
Failure: The Law goes unenforced. No other enforcement can be attempted against that particular violation of the Law. The lawbreaker “gets away with it.”
Success: The lawbreaker’s successes on whatever Disciplines she used or is using to commit her crime are reduced by the number of successes the player rolled. If the Discipline in question does not require a roll (Protean 1) or enhances other Traits (Vigor, Resilience and Celerity), the Discipline is canceled if the successes are greater than the rating of the Discipline. For instance, canceling Protean 1 only requires a single success, but if the criminal has Vigor 3, a single success still leaves her with access to Vigor 2. In the case of Devotions, the Carthian needs only to match the rating of the lowest Discipline involved.
Exceptional Success: All Disciplines the lawbreaker has used or is using in violation of the Law instantly cease.
The player makes this roll no matter whether he knows that the Law is being violated or not. The lawbreaker has no way to perceive that the witness is the cause of her sudden Discipline failure (because he isn’t). Likewise, the witness doesn’t know that his presence at the scene had anything to do with the lawbreaker’s problems. The effect happens whether the Carthian wants the lawbreaker to succeed or not (which means that a group of Carthians working against the rules can stifle each other’s efforts, but see “Rebellion” on p. 177).
The other method (which works better for large groups or if the Carthians are Storyteller characters rather than player-controlled characters) is to roll only for the Carthian with the highest rating in Covenant Status. Each additional Carthian present adds one die to the roll. The results are then calculated normally.
First, the character can dodge the Law, using his Disciplines as he pleases no matter what rules he’s breaking. This makes the roll to enforce Carthian Law a contested action. The lawyer rolls Wits + Academics + Covenant Status (Carthians). This roll is reflexive. If he wins the action, the Law has no effect.
Second, the lawyer can impose the Law on other vampires in situations when it normally wouldn’t apply. The lawyer cannot use this power outside of the domain in question, but can attempt to shut down the Disciplines of another vampire engaged in almost any action. This functions as described above for enforcing the Law, except that the roll is Wits + Academics + Covenant Status (Carthians).
In game terms, when a Carthian is unequivocally in the right under the Law and is using a Discipline to uphold that Law, the player receives a bonus to the Discipline’s roll equal to the character’s Covenant Status (Carthians) Merit. If the Storyteller feels this is too much of a bonus, she might require the player to spend a Willpower point for the character (tapping into the power of the Law takes effort, even if the Kindred is unaware of it).
Belonging to a group so centered on synergy has advantages, and if they’re not always as flashy as occult conjurations and miracles of Vitae, they’re nevertheless reliable and Masquerade-compatible. Even better, the Carthians aren’t selling their souls to get them.
Carthian Law
The Carthian Movement is, on the whole, a secular covenant. While individual members might be interested in the mystical secrets of the World of Darkness, their curiosity tends to be for reasons other than transcendence or piety. Even their own Disciplines usually receive only cursory theoretical interest — as vampires, the Carthians have certain capabilities. The “why” doesn’t matter as much as “how” and the “to what end.”And yet, the Carthians have power as a covenant that is, in some ways, more dangerous than Theban Sorcery and more insidious than The Coils of the Dragon. The practice of Carthian Law allows these Kindred to place restrictions on what their fellow vampires may do within their domains. These laws aren’t simply tenets, held in place only by say-so and perceived threat of consequence. When Carthians gather, Kindred Disciplines, the hallmark of vampiric existence, falter. And, most of the time, neither the victim nor the Carthians have any idea what is happening.
The Spirit of the Law
Because Carthian Law is a new concept, the reader needs some explanation of what’s involved from the perspective of both the Kindred “using” the Laws and those falling victim to the Laws. Likewise, the theory behind Carthian Law (both within the setting of Vampire and in terms of game design) Merits discussion.The following sections explain what the Laws do, who is affected by them and to what degree and why the Laws function. Before reading on, however, understand that before implementing Carthian Law, the Storyteller needs to make a few decisions about how it works and what the limits of the Law are (hopefully with some input from the players). The Laws are presented in terms of possibility rather than fact. Similar to the Carthian Movement as a whole, Carthian Law is still in flux.
Precepts of Carthian Law
Carthian Law operates under the following precepts:- The Herd is outside the Law: Carthian Law cannot stop a vampire from using Disciplines on mortals. Ghouls are a gray area; in some domains, they might fall under the Law.
- The people must support the Law: A Carthian in a domain in which the covenant holds no power cannot enforce the Laws, unless that Carthian is a power unto himself.
- The Law must be defined: A domain in which the majority of the Kindred (or just the influential Kindred) are Carthian does not a Carthian domain make, especially with respect to the Law. If the Carthians do not have codified laws, there can be no enforcement. An unspoken or “common knowledge” law doesn’t count — the Kindred in the domain might avoid feeding in a particular district for whatever reason, but unless an authority has actually forbidden feeding there, the Laws won’t come into play.
- Ignorance is no excuse: The Laws affect Kindred in the domain in question whether they know about them or not. However . . . .
- A Law broken in secret is not broken: A member of the Carthian Movement must actually observe a breach of the Law in order to enforce it.
- Law must be broken in deed, not thought: A domain might have Laws against the murder of another Kindred, but using Disciplines to plan the murder does not violate the Law. Only actions that break the Law merit enforcement.
- The Law applies only to Disciplines: Skills, Attributes, Merits and Coils of the Dragon are not affected by the Law (the last because Coils are not actively used, they are permanent changes to a vampire’s physiology).
The Laws in Practice
Carthian Law isn’t a Discipline, or a form of blood sorcery like Crúac or the Theban rituals of The Lancea Sanctum. The Laws are exactly that — a series of restrictions placed upon the use of Kindred abilities. Individual Carthians can enforce these Laws (often without meaning to), but the Laws grow more potent if more members of the covenant are present.In many ways, the Laws represent the notion of citizenship so prized in many Carthian domains. A citizen can use her Disciplines freely, or at least, more freely than a non-citizen. A citizen is accountable to the Laws, but is given the benefit of the doubt. A non-citizen is an outsider, and thus cannot act with impunity.
To put this into practice somewhat, consider the following scenario: A Ventrue of The Lancea Sanctum enters a Carthian domain and runs afoul of the city’s Myrmidon. The Myrmidon orders the Sanctified Kindred to stand down and submit to a search and an Interrogation. The Ventrue, believing himself to be on a mission from God and thus not accountable to such lowly concerns (and believing himself able to take on The Myrmidon and win) attempts to cast the Theban Sorcery ritual Blood Scourge. He cuts his palm, wills the blood to come — and nothing happens.
Why did the ritual fail? Because in this domain, Carthian Law is dominant. The ritual that the Sanctified Kindred was attempting to use is against the rules, and so it failed. (How this functions in terms of game mechanics is discussed below.) The Sanctified Kindred doesn’t feel anything working against him. The ritual felt as though it should have succeeded — he cut his palm in the same way as always, but the blood lash just didn’t come. Likewise, The Myrmidon is unaware that she did anything mystical (and, in all probability, doesn’t know what the intruder was trying to do, unless she has had contact with the Sanctified and has seen that ritual in use before). All she knows is that the intruder drew a Knife and slashed open his palm as though expecting something to happen.
A vampire in violation of a Law doesn’t set off any mystical sense to the Carthians. That is, if a vampire creeps up behind a Carthian and attempts to stake him with a Vigor-enhanced attack, the Law does not protect the Carthian because the Carthian has not perceived the breach of the Law (see the “Precepts,” above). That said, a Carthian does not have to know the Law to enforce it, just as a vampire is still beholden to the Law even if she is ignorant of it.
As stated in the Precepts, the Law applies only to Disciplines. The Law stating “Kindred may not creep invisibly through the Elysium, but must announce themselves and obtain permission before entering” would prohibit a vampire from using Obfuscate to sneak in or even using Dominate to force a guard to grant her entry, but would not stop her from simply picking a lock and sneaking past said guard. Likewise, Coils of the Dragon are exempt from the Law because they are permanent changes to vampire, not abilities that the vampire turns on and off. This is why the Laws function on Disciplines such as Resilience and Vigor. Even though they simply enhance the vampire’s natural physical prowess, they must be activated by the power of the Blood, and this makes them susceptible to the Law.
Who Is Above the Law?
In the above example, would the same thing have happened if the Ventrue had attempted to Dominate The Myrmidon? What about using the Animalism Discipline to summon a swarm of rats or using Auspex to read The Myrmidon’s aura? All of this depends on what specifically the Law states. For instance, if the Law reads “Violence against Kindred is forbidden except in sanctioned duels,” using Animalism as described would be prohibited, but using Auspex would not be. Dominate probably would have worked, since the Discipline is not inherently violent. If the Law that was broken reads “New Kindred are powerless until recognized,” then no Discipline would have functioned in The Myrmidon’s presence. Obviously, then, the letter of the Law is of supreme importance.Knowledge Is Power
A Kindred entering a new city would do well to learn the political lay of the land no matter which covenant is most influential, and a newly arrived vampire might avoid punishment for an infringement if he honestly didn’t know the rules (and if he was making a good attempt to find other Kindred and learn those rules). As far as the mystical effects of Carthian Law, however, ignorance cannot protect the character. As long as the other conditions are met, the Law’s effects take hold.In cities where the Carthian Movement has held sway for a long period of time, the city has probably undergone a great deal of change as the Kindred in charge take on different mindsets, enact various political and governmental experiments and mimic (and pervert) various mortal institutions. This has an effect on the Law as well. Over time, the Law becomes so dense and arcane than only vampires who have dwelled in the city for many years or who make a concerted study of the Law can hope to fully understand it. Such vampires can sometimes bring to bear the more powerful effects of the Law even without the support of other Carthians. Also, these knowledgeable vampires are able to find loopholes in the Law, allowing them to dodge its effects. These Kindred typically enjoy a great deal of Status within the city, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes a cipher, a vampire who attends Carthian meetings but never speaks and is seldom seen outside of these gatherings, actually knows the Law better than anyone else in the city, Prefect or other leaders included. Such vampires are also the most likely to understand that the Law has a mystical effect at all (as stated, most of the time the Law goes completely unnoticed). The Carthian Lawyer Merit (p. 184) represents a character who, no what extent she understands the true nature of Carthian Law, has learned to manipulate it.
Influence of the Carthians
Carthian Law applies only in areas where Carthians have the authority to make and enforce laws over other Kindred. A domain in which the most influential vampires are members of the covenant obviously qualifies, but what exactly does that mean? Certainly, a domain in which a Carthian claims the title of Prince or Prefect, regardless of what means he used to obtain that position, has enough Carthian influence to empower the Law. A domain in which the nominal Prince is a member of The Invictus, but his Seneschal and the true power in the region is Carthian, might also empower the Law. The tenurial domain of a Carthian Regent certainly qualifies, even if the influence of the Law doesn’t extend to the larger city domain.A domain without any formal leader allows for the enforcement of the Law only if some actual tenets have been discussed and agreed upon. As stated in the Precepts, an unspoken law or one that “everyone knows” (when no one actually said it or agreed to it) doesn’t count for purposes of Carthian Law.
What happens, then, when a powerful or influential Carthian travels to another city? Does he bring the Law with him? Normally, no, but if that character is significantly influential, a power unto himself, he might inadvertently impose the Laws of his home domain upon the one he visits. This is an extremely rare occurrence, however, and typically only happens when the visiting Carthian:
- is visiting another Carthian domain, whether or not this domain usually operates under any Laws
- has a great deal of respect in the city he is visiting (City Status •••, at least)
- is widely respected within his own clan (Clan Status •••• or more) and his clan is well-represented within the city he is visiting
- is more powerful than any other vampire in the city by a wide margin (mechanically, the Storyteller needs to adjudicate this, but one possible yardstick is Blood Potency. If the visitor’s Blood Potency is more than three dots higher than any of the resident vampires’, for instance, the visitor’s Laws might affect the Kindred he meets)
Ghouls and the Law
Normally, the Law affects only vampires. Ghouls are a strange case, though. The act of imbibing Kindred blood brings a mortal into the World of Darkness, whether she wants to see the deeper mysteries of that world or not. She is no longer part of the mortal Herd, and thus can have a different relationship with Carthian Law than normal mortals. To what extent the Law affects Ghouls depends, as with many things, on the wording of the Law in the given area. If the Law states that “those brought under the blood are still mortal, and should be treated as such” then, as far as the effects of the Law go, Ghouls are simply mortal. If the Law states “our blood-servants are property of their Kindred masters,” then using Disciplines on a ghoul can trigger the Law. Some domains even extend a limited form of citizenship to Ghouls, and in such places Ghouls can actually suffer the same restrictions on their Disciplines that the local Kindred do.More Equal Than Others
The Carthian Law affects all Kindred, but does not necessarily affect them equally. Members of the Carthian Movement often enjoy a degree of latitude if the Laws appear to support two contrasting actions, and a Kindred acting within an official capacity in a Carthian domain can violate the Laws as necessary to discharge his duties.For instance, consider the following scenario: a Carthian Gangrel and an unaligned Daeva come into conflict near a busy intersection. The Gangrel started the fight, for whatever reason (it could be something as simple as the Predator’s Taint or the Gangrel might actually have an agenda). The Daeva, however, activates her Celerity Discipline to flee, dodging in between speeding cars and running away with much more alacrity than any mortal could muster. Both vampires are in breach of the Law, because the Law states “Kindred duels are forbidden except where sanctioned by three citizens” as well as “Kindred may not reveal their supernatural prowess in view of mortals.” Both Kindred are using Disciplines: the Gangrel uses Resilience and Protean to attack the Daeva, and the Daeva uses Celerity to flee. Which one does the Law affect?
In all probability, the Law affects them both. If, however, the Law falls upon only one of their heads, the likelihood is that the Daeva will suffer and the Gangrel will not. Neither of them has a more convincing claim to being “right” under the law than the other — but the Gangrel is a Carthian, and citizenship has its advantages.
If the Gangrel had been acting within a specific office when he attacked the Daeva, perhaps as Hound or Sheriff, he would not be restricted by the Law. This privilege can, of course, be abused, but it can also be revoked.
Carthians might also be exempt from the Law if the Law makes allowance for them. For instance, the Law might read “All citizens may feed at will, but non-citizens must obtain permission.” If “citizen” means “any member of the Carthian Movement,” then even a visiting member of the covenant can feed with impunity. If the domain in question has a measure in place for granting citizenship (and many such domains do), then a Carthian who has not yet obtained citizenship or has had this Status revoked can fall victim to the Law.
Creating the Laws
Who passes the Laws of a Carthian domain? As with so many things about the covenant, the answer depends on Carthian domain in question. Laws might be decided upon by an elected Myrmidon, by a group of officials, by popular vote or even by a dictator Prefect. The important things for determining whether a city’s set of tenets has the mystical force of Carthian Law behind it are as follows: Do the Carthians of the city agree to the Laws? Are the Laws codified and specifically stated?Agreeing To Be Led
The Carthian citizens of a domain don’t have to respect the Law, follow the Law or even like the Law, but they do have to agree to the Law. This isn’t necessarily a matter of every single Carthian in the domain checking off a list of tenets, however. Consider the following scenario: a Carthian Nosferatu entersthe city, slays the current Kindred leader and establishes himself as Prefect. He believes in a system of rule by fear — only he and a few of his closest lieutenants have the right to make the rules, and they enforce them by finding transgressors and torturing them or, in some cases, leaving them out for the sun. The other Kindred in the city can either accept this rather brutal Law or they can leave the city, but remaining in the city and remaining part of the covenant is enough to empower Carthian Law (see the sidebar on “Rebellion,” however).Of course, if the Kindred of the city elect or agree upon a given leader, the situation is much more palatable. The leader makes rules in whatever manner the Carthians have decided upon, and, because the other Carthians are part of the governing process by dint of choosing who governs them, they agree to the Law. As leaders and policies change over time, the Laws, too, can change.
Sometimes, though, Laws don’t so much change as accumulate. Why this happens is discussed under “Theories,” below, but the effect of too many Laws in a city is that Disciplines tend to fail even when the Carthians aren’t around to enforce the Law. The Law takes on an agenda of its own, beyond the control or the will of the Carthian Movement. Since so few Carthians are aware of the phenomenon to begin with in this situation, it’s difficult to say what the long-term effects would be to the Kindred in such a city.
Codifying the Law
The Kindred leader(s) of the domain decide what the Laws encompass, what penalties violations of the Laws carry and under what circumstances a vampire can rightfully break the Law. As with mortal law, this can become complex very easily. It doesn’t usually start out that way, though.By way of example, consider the Nosferatu mentioned above. A few years after his bloody coup, the Kindred of the city are tired of going about their Requiems in fear and conspire to take this tyrant down. They do so, but afterward only a handful of Kindred remain in the city. Since there aren’t many of them, they decide that any rules of existence for the domain must be agreed upon by a majority of vampires at an annual meeting. At the first meeting, one of the Laws passed is that “No Kindred may feed on another Kindred.”
What the Carthians mean when they pass that law is “Attacking Kindred for sustenance or Diablerie is forbidden,” but that’s not what the Law reads, and thus that’s not what’s enforced. Therefore, Kindred lovers drinking each other’s blood in moments of passion fall under the Law’s effects, as do Kindred making deals in which the currency is Vitae. Likewise, a vampire who tries to defend himself against a vampiric attacker by biting and feeding might fall victim to the Law, and in such a circumstance losing access to Disciplines might cost his unlife.
The Carthians probably don’t connect strange failures of Disciplines to the rule they passed, at least not consciously. But a year later, they do amend the rule. Now, it reads “No Kindred may feed on another Kindred without permission.” This would seem to resolve most of the issues, but not all. (Self-defense is still a problem.) Also, even though a majority of the Kindred agreed to the change in the Law, some of them still think in terms of the original rule. The Law has begun to evolve (or mutate, if you prefer). If the cycle keeps up for a decade or more, the original Law may become buried under a heap of amendments, which may or may not come anywhere close to conveying what the original Law was intended to convey.
What effect does this have on the Kindred of the city? As previously mentioned, they might find Disciplines failing at inopportune moments, only because they have violated some obtuse but literal permutation of the Law. The Law might mutate until it affects not only Disciplines, but also the ability to spend Vitae to heal or augment Physical Attributes. (Yes, this is in contradiction of the Precepts given earlier, but that’s the point — the Law might mutate beyond its original boundaries.) Perhaps a ghoul rebels against her master and teaches other mortals about Kindred society and about their rules, eventually yielding an effect that a group of mortal vampire-hunters can enforce the Law as though they were Carthians.
Types of Laws
The Laws fall under four general categories:- Proscriptions: These Laws prohibit or limit certain types of behavior and encompass the vast majority of Carthian Law. Examples: Prohibition against killing other Kindred, rules limiting where and when Kindred can hunt.
- Admonitions: These Laws provide standards of behavior that Kindred are meant to uphold, either at specific times or constantly. Examples: Maintaining the Masquerade, non-violence or abstaining from Discipline use at certain time or in certain places.
- Privileges: Kindred who meet certain qualifications can break other Laws or might enjoy boosts to their Disciplines (see below) under certain circumstances. Examples: The Hound can subdue or kill Kindred at will; Kindred citizens can kill one vessel per year with no retribution.
- Obligations: Kindred in the domain can be called upon to serve the covenant’s (or the city’s) interest under certain circumstances. Examples: The Prefect can order a vampire to instruct him or his lieutenants in a Discipline for one month; Kindred with combat experience can be called upon to fend off incursions from other vampires.
Theory
Why do the Laws function? How can the decisions of a few vampires united by nothing more than political sympathy and the Carthian name influence other Kindred’s ability to use their Disciplines?Very few Kindred even recognize that this phenomenon exists, and so the Carthian Movement isn’t exactly rife with speculation (which is probably just as well, because a great number of the members of all of the covenants, Carthians included, would be horrified to learn about the Laws’ effects). As such, the theories presented here are possibilities for you to consider. As a Storyteller, if you wish to bring the Laws into your chronicle as a measurable phenomenon rather than as an invisible effect, these theories might be good discussion points.
Divine Right (or Wrong)
Although the Carthian Movement is, by and large, a secular covenant, that doesn’t mean that individual members aren’t devout believers in or at least followers of one faith or another. The Laws might work because some higher being wishes them to, perhaps because vampires have the right (or the responsibility) to mystically govern their own kind. This would make for an interesting counterpoint to the Predator’s Taint. While one effect urges vampires toward supernatural rage and madness, the other urges them toward temperance and caution. The Carthian Law might therefore be a gift.Looked at another way, though, the Law could just as easily be a curse. Vampires become their own worst enemies — their Laws can cancel out their greatest advantages. Taken to an extreme, this could create cities where Discipline use, perhaps even feeding on Vitae, violates the Laws and forces all Kindred within the cities’ boundaries to either fall into Torpor or flee.
In a more secular sense, suppose the Law is a survival mechanism. In times past, when cities were farther apart and didn’t contain the same number of identification and security measures that they do now, adopting new identities, even when dealing with other Kindred, was simple. All one had to do was brave the open road for a time. Now, this is more difficult, and so the Kindred need other methods of protection from one another. This last theory is probably most in keeping with the themes of the Carthian Movement in general.
All Power to the Masses
Vampires are capable of affecting their environments by sheer force of will. Disciplines such as Dominate, Nightmare, Majesty and the two blood sorceries can wreak subtle or gross change upon the world without the vampire having to physically enact those changes. Consider, then, that the Laws are merely a greater extension of these Disciplines, inherent to the vampiric condition. Carthian Law might work because of the mystical power of the creatures behind it. The Law doesn’t affect mortals because the Kindred driving it are so focused on their own kind, but if, for instance, The Invictus ever managed to latch on to the same principles, the mortal population of its domains might start following Kindred tenets (or perversions thereof).This theory speaks to themes of great potential resting in each individual vampire, but growing as the number of Kindred grows. This doesn’t have to be inspiring or empowering, however. In fact, given that each vampire is a bloodsucking predator, the notion that 10 vampires are exponentially more powerful and subtle than one vampiric is downright horrific.
Spirit of the City
Vampires might be familiar with ghosts, or at least know they exist, but very few Kindred know that other, more esoteric spirits exist also. According to some beliefs, everything has a spirit — objects, animals, even ideas. With this in mind, that every city also has a soul, the collective life and anima of every living being in that city, shouldn’t be surprising.Every living being — and perhaps every undead being. Assuming that such spirits really do exist and that they can have direct and measurable effects on the world in which vampires dwell, what effects do vampires have upon the soul of a city? Such a spirit might empower Carthian Law. After all, the spirit encompasses the entire city, and thus is theoretically aware of everything that occurs within it, including the decisions that the Carthians make about their Laws. Why would such a being even be interested in the machinations of the undead? Below are three possible reasons.
- The spirit cares for the citizens. The spirit has respect for every being in the city, including vampires. Some city spirits, therefore, intercede on behalf of the undead, since the undead cannot police themselves as efficiently as mortals because of simply lack of numbers. This theory explains why not every city that boasts a Carthian population enjoys (or suffers from) the Law, though this theory doesn’t speak to why cities claimed by other covenants don’t seem to engender the effect.
- The Carthians empower the spirit. Perhaps, in every city in which Carthian Law functions, the resident Kindred open their meetings in a particular way, read from a special passage or perform a particular ritual that the covenant picked up somewhere in its development, and this practice empowered the spirit of the city to enforce its Law. For a more vampiric twist, what if the ritual forces the spirit into this arrangement, binding it to the unlives of the Carthians? If so, is the spirit then neglecting whatever arcane duties it would normally attend to?
- The spirit’s evil twin sees to vampires. Perhaps the presence of vampires in a city splits the city’s spirit into two beings. One continues doing whatever it is that normal city spirits do, but the other acts as a vampire — draining the vitality from other spirits, or even from areas of the city. Maybe this evil twin spirit follows vampires as they hunt. In the process, its involvement with the vampiric community empowers Carthian Law. Again, this doesn’t explain why the Carthians in particular are the ones who engender this effect, but one possible reason is that the Carthian Movement actively takes its cues from mortal society, which might get the city spirit’s attention (since the city spirit is an embodiment of that society).
The Letter of the Law
In this section, the reader will find the game mechanics behind Carthian Law. Many of the permutations from the previous section are discussed herein and given rules and systems, as well as what’s involved in “learning” the Laws by spending experience points.Basic Requirements
As stated previously, in order for Carthian Law to apply, the major Kindred power in the domain needs to belong to the covenant and the rules need to be codified (even if individual Kindred don’t know them, which means that the Storyteller can make up the Laws and let the players find them out during the chronicle, or the players can have their characters take a hand in hashing out the rules of the domain, depending on what kind of story your troupe wants to tell).Using the Laws to stifle other vampires’ Disciplines is called enforcing the Laws. Doing so does not require any special effort on the part of the Carthian character (i.e., all enforcement is reflexive). Indeed, most of the time the Carthians aren’t even aware that Carthian Law exists. All vampires are aware that Disciplines don’t function properly in every single instance, even for elders, just as even an expert marksman might miss a target occasionally. Thus, the fact a vampire’s supernatural power sometimes shuts down in a Carthian city doesn’t raise any eyebrows at the covenant. In game terms, a Discipline ceasing to function because of Carthian Law is treated no differently than a simple failed roll. In the case of Vigor, Resilience and Celerity, which modify other Traits rather than granting specific powers, the character feels stronger, tougher or faster but simply doesn’t gain the benefits.
Enforcing the Laws
In order to enforce Carthian Law, the character must possess at least one dot of Covenant Status (Carthians). He must also bear witness to a violation of the tenets of the domain as codified by the Carthians in power, in which another vampire uses a Discipline and the Kindred of the city are directly affected by the violation.If all of these criteria are met, the player rolls Intelligence + Resolve + Status (Carthians).
Dramatic Failure: The Law weakens. For the next month, every enforcement attempt suffers a –1 penalty.
Failure: The Law goes unenforced. No other enforcement can be attempted against that particular violation of the Law. The lawbreaker “gets away with it.”
Success: The lawbreaker’s successes on whatever Disciplines she used or is using to commit her crime are reduced by the number of successes the player rolled. If the Discipline in question does not require a roll (Protean 1) or enhances other Traits (Vigor, Resilience and Celerity), the Discipline is canceled if the successes are greater than the rating of the Discipline. For instance, canceling Protean 1 only requires a single success, but if the criminal has Vigor 3, a single success still leaves her with access to Vigor 2. In the case of Devotions, the Carthian needs only to match the rating of the lowest Discipline involved.
Exceptional Success: All Disciplines the lawbreaker has used or is using in violation of the Law instantly cease.
The player makes this roll no matter whether he knows that the Law is being violated or not. The lawbreaker has no way to perceive that the witness is the cause of her sudden Discipline failure (because he isn’t). Likewise, the witness doesn’t know that his presence at the scene had anything to do with the lawbreaker’s problems. The effect happens whether the Carthian wants the lawbreaker to succeed or not (which means that a group of Carthians working against the rules can stifle each other’s efforts, but see “Rebellion” on p. 177).
Permutations
The following rules and systems can be used to further explore and flesh out the Carthian Law. As with the Law in general, these rules are optional, so use the ones that make the most sense in your chronicle.Multiple Carthians
What happens if multiple Carthians witness the same violation of the Law? The effect is magnified. There are two ways to simulate this. One is simply to have each Carthian present check for the effect and total the successes.The other method (which works better for large groups or if the Carthians are Storyteller characters rather than player-controlled characters) is to roll only for the Carthian with the highest rating in Covenant Status. Each additional Carthian present adds one die to the roll. The results are then calculated normally.
Lawyers
As mentioned previously, sometimes the Law grows so arcane and inaccessible that clever vampires can take advantage of it. This happens only when the Laws are not cut-and-dried (usually in cities that have been Carthian domains for a long period of time). Carthians can take advantage of the Law in one of two ways, and both require the Carthian Lawyer Merit (see p. 184).First, the character can dodge the Law, using his Disciplines as he pleases no matter what rules he’s breaking. This makes the roll to enforce Carthian Law a contested action. The lawyer rolls Wits + Academics + Covenant Status (Carthians). This roll is reflexive. If he wins the action, the Law has no effect.
Second, the lawyer can impose the Law on other vampires in situations when it normally wouldn’t apply. The lawyer cannot use this power outside of the domain in question, but can attempt to shut down the Disciplines of another vampire engaged in almost any action. This functions as described above for enforcing the Law, except that the roll is Wits + Academics + Covenant Status (Carthians).
Privilege Has Perks
A vampire acting on behalf of the Carthian Movement within a domain sometimes finds that using Disciplines becomes easier. For instance, a Mekhet searching for a vampire who has consistently broken the Law might enjoy better-than-usual results with applications of the Auspex Discipline.In game terms, when a Carthian is unequivocally in the right under the Law and is using a Discipline to uphold that Law, the player receives a bonus to the Discipline’s roll equal to the character’s Covenant Status (Carthians) Merit. If the Storyteller feels this is too much of a bonus, she might require the player to spend a Willpower point for the character (tapping into the power of the Law takes effort, even if the Kindred is unaware of it).
Type
Political, Activist
Subsidiary Organizations
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Related Items
Notable Members
Related Plots
Storyteller's Option: Enhancing Status
Concerning...
Golconda: Fairy tales like Golconda serve only to distract the Kindred from political action.The Law and the World of Darkness
Werewolves, mages and any other strange denizens of the World of Darkness do not suffer any restrictions due to Carthian Law. They are not Kindred, and the Laws are made for Kindred, by Kindred. This has the potential effect of granting such creatures an “untouchable” Status — because they are not part of the society, they can act upon it freely, making them good choices as assassins or spies.This, of course, requires not only finding one of these strange and elusive beings, but making a good impression at the meeting and offering him something worth the effort and danger of taking on such a role in the Danse Macabre. Such a feat is impressive and risky, but stranger things, as they say, have happened.
Rebellion
Times change, but sometimes those in charge would rather they didn’t. So what happens when the domain encompasses two or more groups of Carthians, both of whom set rules? Can the Law be enforced against itself?The answer is yes. This conflict results in a kind of metaphysical turbulence between the two competing Laws. Where the Laws overlap, they function normally, but where they are diametrically opposed, either or both might be enforced at any given time. This is discussed more fully in a rules context below. In terms of Storytelling, consider that when a rebellion ousts a regime, some vestiges of the former government must of necessity remain if only because it’s what the citizenry is used to. The same is true of Carthian Law.
Neutral
Carthians: "Detached from reality."
Circle of The Crone: "Misplaced values."
Few dedicated Carthians even understand The Circle of the Crone. It’s not that they’re religious, or that many of them steadily refuse to hide their religion, even in the face of discrimination. Holding true to one’s beliefs is something that the Carthians have a deep, abiding respect for, and they find the tenacity of the Circle quite appealing. The Circle’s passive acceptance of oppression (in fact, their apparent urge to provoke it) is what confuses Carthian Kindred. More often than not, an offer to relieve members of the Circle of painful circumstances will fall on deaf ears. They almost never want things to change for the better, at least not the way the Movement does.
Even more curiously, The Circle of the Crone may align itself with the Carthian cause under the most dangerous circumstances — during an anti– Carthian pogrom, for instance — but will quickly abandon the Carthians when the peril passes. It’s as though the Circle encourages its members to test themselves, and the Carthians are acceptable Allies only when their friendship increases the difficulty of the test (or, on rare occasions, helps the Acolytes survive it). Many Carthians quickly grasp this feature of the Circle and either learn to take advantage of it or do their best to ignore it.
Conversion from The Circle of the Crone to The Carthian Movement is infrequent, but does occur. The mystical tenets of the former can actually overlap comfortably with the political philosophies of the latter, but it’s often hard for Circle members to identify with outsiders, and doubly so for them to integrate comfortably into a secular organization. More often than not, members of the Circle will lend their support to like-minded Carthians without actually crossing over from the Circle.
Carthian rule is often just as forgiving of the Circle as the Movement is of The Lancea Sanctum, so long as the Circle refrains from overtly inhumane activity. Many governing members of The Carthian Movement balk at the Circle’s apparent obsession with blood, but only because it seems to indicate a tendency to monstrousness that most covenants are more careful to conceal. Strangely, the Circle often seems most resistant to Carthian rule when the Acolytes are indulged and acknowledged as legitimate citizens. A problem for governing Carthians seems to be finding a balance between tolerating the Kindred of the Circle and finding a way to make them feel as though they’re still struggling to survive without endangering the smooth function of the domain. Many Carthian leaders abandon the effort in favor of a simpler choice: outlawing the Circle and allowing it to function as an underground cult.
Circle of The Crone: "Misplaced values."
Few dedicated Carthians even understand The Circle of the Crone. It’s not that they’re religious, or that many of them steadily refuse to hide their religion, even in the face of discrimination. Holding true to one’s beliefs is something that the Carthians have a deep, abiding respect for, and they find the tenacity of the Circle quite appealing. The Circle’s passive acceptance of oppression (in fact, their apparent urge to provoke it) is what confuses Carthian Kindred. More often than not, an offer to relieve members of the Circle of painful circumstances will fall on deaf ears. They almost never want things to change for the better, at least not the way the Movement does.
Even more curiously, The Circle of the Crone may align itself with the Carthian cause under the most dangerous circumstances — during an anti– Carthian pogrom, for instance — but will quickly abandon the Carthians when the peril passes. It’s as though the Circle encourages its members to test themselves, and the Carthians are acceptable Allies only when their friendship increases the difficulty of the test (or, on rare occasions, helps the Acolytes survive it). Many Carthians quickly grasp this feature of the Circle and either learn to take advantage of it or do their best to ignore it.
Conversion from The Circle of the Crone to The Carthian Movement is infrequent, but does occur. The mystical tenets of the former can actually overlap comfortably with the political philosophies of the latter, but it’s often hard for Circle members to identify with outsiders, and doubly so for them to integrate comfortably into a secular organization. More often than not, members of the Circle will lend their support to like-minded Carthians without actually crossing over from the Circle.
Carthian rule is often just as forgiving of the Circle as the Movement is of The Lancea Sanctum, so long as the Circle refrains from overtly inhumane activity. Many governing members of The Carthian Movement balk at the Circle’s apparent obsession with blood, but only because it seems to indicate a tendency to monstrousness that most covenants are more careful to conceal. Strangely, the Circle often seems most resistant to Carthian rule when the Acolytes are indulged and acknowledged as legitimate citizens. A problem for governing Carthians seems to be finding a balance between tolerating the Kindred of the Circle and finding a way to make them feel as though they’re still struggling to survive without endangering the smooth function of the domain. Many Carthian leaders abandon the effort in favor of a simpler choice: outlawing the Circle and allowing it to function as an underground cult.
Neutral
Carthians: "Blind finatics."
Lancea Sanctum: "Faithless but determined."
Many Sanctified just don’t see the point of the Carthian philosophy; why spend decades, even centuries, adapting mortal ideologies and power structures to the Danse Macabre when tested and workable systems already exist now? Beyond that, nothing in the works of Locke, Rousseau and other thinkers so venerated by Carthian ideologues can account for uniquely Kindred concerns like the Beast, the thirst for Vitae, and the predatory duties that come with the curse of undeath. Sanctified philosophers — even those without strong ties to the covenant’s traditional Invictus alliances — point to these concerns as reasons why Carthian-dominated domains collapse.
Still, the Carthians aren’t typically considered a threat to The Lancea Sanctum power base. As long as they aren’t advocating violations of The Traditions, The Lancea Sanctum is often content to let them have their experiments in secular power. Some Lancea Sanctum leaders see the greatest threat from the Carthians to be the unwelcome revelation that many modern Sanctified don’t much care which political covenant takes the reigns of secular society, so long as that covenant accepts the word of Longinus. The Lancea Sanctum knows it can enjoy great prosperity by sharing power and, while much of that is owed to The Invictus, the model can work just as well with the First Estate replaced.
In fact, many consider the Carthians prime recruitment material – let them come to us, the Sanctified say, once they’ve grown disillusioned trying to reinvent the wheel. Like other vampires, the Carthians come to the Sanctified for advice from time to time, and when they do, they don’t always get the same advice as an Invictus advice-seeker would. Rather than telling a young Carthian, “Elders are the ones who should rule, given their greater knowledge and experience,” it’s common for one of the Sanctified to be vague, inviting the Carthian to a ritual or mass so that she can “learn more” about the question. It’s a variation on mortal cult tactics, sure – learn a person’s insecurities and then suggest your group can help solve them – but it often works, as many Carthians are far less passionate about Carthian philosophy in particular than they are about finding that indefinable quality they feel is missing from their existence.
The Carthians Haven’t chosen to devote themselves to a Requiem spent within The Lancea Sanctum, but neither have they chosen to oppose the Sanctified church by joining a religious cult. Longinus did not decree one political system to be innately superior to another, so The Lancea Sanctum accepts undead worshippers from any secular affiliation. Cooperation across party lines reinforces the notion that faith can be the ground underfoot in all Requiems — not just those who salute The Invictus.
Working with the Carthians allows The Lancea Sanctum to renew its standing as a covenant separate from The Invictus, where necessary. Many Kindred confuse membership in The Invictus with an importance in city politics, and thus the division between the First and Second Estates seems to be a division between political and spiritual importance. By untangling itself from The Invictus and gaining ground “behind” both the First Estate and the Carthians, The Lancea Sanctum accentuates its role as a spiritual order rather than a temporal one. Plus, some freedom from The Invictus may allow Sanctified Kindred to obtain positions of power in the city hierarchy normally granted by assumption to an Invictus vampire. If The Lancea Sanctum seeks political power, it may be easier to let the Carthians unseat established Invictus vampires first.
Much more tolerant of Carthian experimentation than The Invictus, The Lancea Sanctum still finds itself at odds with the Movement in many domains. Most Bishops will accept (and even encourage) the attendance of declared Carthian members in the Sanctified churches, hoping that the teachings of The Lancea Sanctum will eventually convert the wayward Kindred and lead them to a brighter future. Coincidentally, this is almost exactly what the Carthians who attend the masses are hoping will happen to the Sanctified vampires once they, in turn, are exposed to the ideology of the Movement.
The problem with this relationship is that it’s nothing more than temporary tolerance. Sooner or later, somebody either decides that the other covenant’s members aren’t changing fast enough or, worse, that they’re too good at conveying their way of thought to one’s own membership. When that happens, as it inevitably does, the two groups break with one another and rarely mend their ties. Forbearance sours into acrimony, and former Allies become bitter rivals, forcing their mixed membership to choose sides in a rapidly deteriorating relationship.
Predicting which Sanctified Kindred are likely to convert to the Carthian cause is difficult. Only those who suffer a crisis of faith seem to be willing to entertain the intellectual arguments of the Movement as serious philosophy. Whether that crisis comes from decades of eroding belief or from a sudden breach of trust, the shamed or fearful vampires who experience it almost always hide it. Many try to deny their feelings, hoping that the fire of conviction will rekindle itself before anyone notices their slip. Astute Carthians must learn to recognize the signs of doubt in Sanctified Kindred, and to broach the subject of conversion diplomatically.
Carthians are rarely happy in a Sanctified domain, generally because the superior powers in The Lancea Sanctum preach disconnection from one’s mortal roots and assumption of a new, entirely supernatural persona — a doctrine foreign to the mortal-compatible vampires of the Movement. The more power The Lancea Sanctum has, the less humane the Sanctified’s behavior at gatherings and functions of the local Kindred. Younger Carthians especially find themselves alienated by the stylistic ritual and revelry of The Lancea Sanctum, steeped as it is in increasingly archaic Language and lore.
On the other hand, Sanctified Kindred tend to thrive in Carthian domains, so long as the governing body does not outlaw the Sanctified’s religion. If it remains legal, the Church is treated as a perfectly acceptable refuge (and outlet) for vampires with a yearning for spirituality and ritual (and, some say, anachronism). If the Church’s Bishop is politically passive, The Lancea Sanctum is treated by most Carthian leaders as little more than a relatively harmless social club, a place for like-minded, old-fashioned Kindred to pass the time. Of course, the Carthians of some domains don’t have quite as much tolerance for religious orders of any kind, and may well choose to outlaw the Church.
The local Lancea Sanctum leadership may appoint a representative of the parish to act as liaison (or recruiter) for the Carthians. Whereas a liaison to other factions might be chosen for his religious insight or familiarity with scripture and custom, a delegate to the Carthians is more likely to be chosen for his raw charisma. Sanctified elders know the Carthians rely on appearance to influence their own membership and don’t expect to build bridges with needless challenges.
In domains where the Sanctified have grown restless with the covenant’s traditional relationship with The Invictus — or in cities where such relationships never existed — the Lancea Sanctum may be eager to find a new partner in politics. The Carthian social apparatus is built to facilitate easy communication and a sense of social belonging among the scattered and secretive members of Kindred society, so it is likewise well-suited to the spreading of Sanctified gospel. Those young revolutionaries huddled around the back table of the all-night coffeehouse, waggling well-worn copies of political tracts, could put The Testament on their reading list. The activist speaking out at Elysium can draw on the story of Longinus for powerful metaphors of lone vampires with the wisdom and might to reform Kindred society.
The drive to involve the evangel of Longinus in the formative stages of Carthian governments isn’t necessarily subversive, however. (Such skullduggery would traditionally be left to The Invictus, anyway.) Sanctified Priests are genuinely concerned that a movement away from traditional vampiric social structures would endanger the souls of Kindred who mistake the Lancea Sanctum as a political organization. The Lancea Sanctum doesn’t want tonight’s revolutionaries thinking there’sno room for religion in a radical new vampire state.
The Carthians and the Sanctified therefore have a common goal: to attract and bind together an ever-changing society of young vampires. Not only does an alliance with the Carthians allow The Testament of Longinus to reach even Kindred who might not have participated in religion as mortals, it allows the Lancea Sanctum to modernize itself in the eyes of neonates. If the Lancea Sanctum is to simultaneously maintain a demeanor of contemporary relevance and ancient significance, it may need the expertise of the Carthians. Sharing the manpower of the two covenants benefits them both; every Carthian or Sanctified vampire brought into one covenant is also one less enemy for the other.
The Lancea Sanctum believes a Kindred’s personal betterment — by playing the role laid out by God — demands a dedication to personal responsibility. Carthian treatises say personal betterment — by filling the roles demanded by society — requires similar personal responsibility. The two covenants can certainly coexist productively. As a Kindred must keep his intellect in balance with his predatory role to avoid devolving into a ravenous beast, so must he keep his ambitions in balance with his civil duties to prevent a new state from devolving into anarchy.
Lancea Sanctum: "Faithless but determined."
Many Sanctified just don’t see the point of the Carthian philosophy; why spend decades, even centuries, adapting mortal ideologies and power structures to the Danse Macabre when tested and workable systems already exist now? Beyond that, nothing in the works of Locke, Rousseau and other thinkers so venerated by Carthian ideologues can account for uniquely Kindred concerns like the Beast, the thirst for Vitae, and the predatory duties that come with the curse of undeath. Sanctified philosophers — even those without strong ties to the covenant’s traditional Invictus alliances — point to these concerns as reasons why Carthian-dominated domains collapse.
Still, the Carthians aren’t typically considered a threat to The Lancea Sanctum power base. As long as they aren’t advocating violations of The Traditions, The Lancea Sanctum is often content to let them have their experiments in secular power. Some Lancea Sanctum leaders see the greatest threat from the Carthians to be the unwelcome revelation that many modern Sanctified don’t much care which political covenant takes the reigns of secular society, so long as that covenant accepts the word of Longinus. The Lancea Sanctum knows it can enjoy great prosperity by sharing power and, while much of that is owed to The Invictus, the model can work just as well with the First Estate replaced.
In fact, many consider the Carthians prime recruitment material – let them come to us, the Sanctified say, once they’ve grown disillusioned trying to reinvent the wheel. Like other vampires, the Carthians come to the Sanctified for advice from time to time, and when they do, they don’t always get the same advice as an Invictus advice-seeker would. Rather than telling a young Carthian, “Elders are the ones who should rule, given their greater knowledge and experience,” it’s common for one of the Sanctified to be vague, inviting the Carthian to a ritual or mass so that she can “learn more” about the question. It’s a variation on mortal cult tactics, sure – learn a person’s insecurities and then suggest your group can help solve them – but it often works, as many Carthians are far less passionate about Carthian philosophy in particular than they are about finding that indefinable quality they feel is missing from their existence.
The Carthians Haven’t chosen to devote themselves to a Requiem spent within The Lancea Sanctum, but neither have they chosen to oppose the Sanctified church by joining a religious cult. Longinus did not decree one political system to be innately superior to another, so The Lancea Sanctum accepts undead worshippers from any secular affiliation. Cooperation across party lines reinforces the notion that faith can be the ground underfoot in all Requiems — not just those who salute The Invictus.
Working with the Carthians allows The Lancea Sanctum to renew its standing as a covenant separate from The Invictus, where necessary. Many Kindred confuse membership in The Invictus with an importance in city politics, and thus the division between the First and Second Estates seems to be a division between political and spiritual importance. By untangling itself from The Invictus and gaining ground “behind” both the First Estate and the Carthians, The Lancea Sanctum accentuates its role as a spiritual order rather than a temporal one. Plus, some freedom from The Invictus may allow Sanctified Kindred to obtain positions of power in the city hierarchy normally granted by assumption to an Invictus vampire. If The Lancea Sanctum seeks political power, it may be easier to let the Carthians unseat established Invictus vampires first.
Much more tolerant of Carthian experimentation than The Invictus, The Lancea Sanctum still finds itself at odds with the Movement in many domains. Most Bishops will accept (and even encourage) the attendance of declared Carthian members in the Sanctified churches, hoping that the teachings of The Lancea Sanctum will eventually convert the wayward Kindred and lead them to a brighter future. Coincidentally, this is almost exactly what the Carthians who attend the masses are hoping will happen to the Sanctified vampires once they, in turn, are exposed to the ideology of the Movement.
The problem with this relationship is that it’s nothing more than temporary tolerance. Sooner or later, somebody either decides that the other covenant’s members aren’t changing fast enough or, worse, that they’re too good at conveying their way of thought to one’s own membership. When that happens, as it inevitably does, the two groups break with one another and rarely mend their ties. Forbearance sours into acrimony, and former Allies become bitter rivals, forcing their mixed membership to choose sides in a rapidly deteriorating relationship.
Predicting which Sanctified Kindred are likely to convert to the Carthian cause is difficult. Only those who suffer a crisis of faith seem to be willing to entertain the intellectual arguments of the Movement as serious philosophy. Whether that crisis comes from decades of eroding belief or from a sudden breach of trust, the shamed or fearful vampires who experience it almost always hide it. Many try to deny their feelings, hoping that the fire of conviction will rekindle itself before anyone notices their slip. Astute Carthians must learn to recognize the signs of doubt in Sanctified Kindred, and to broach the subject of conversion diplomatically.
Carthians are rarely happy in a Sanctified domain, generally because the superior powers in The Lancea Sanctum preach disconnection from one’s mortal roots and assumption of a new, entirely supernatural persona — a doctrine foreign to the mortal-compatible vampires of the Movement. The more power The Lancea Sanctum has, the less humane the Sanctified’s behavior at gatherings and functions of the local Kindred. Younger Carthians especially find themselves alienated by the stylistic ritual and revelry of The Lancea Sanctum, steeped as it is in increasingly archaic Language and lore.
On the other hand, Sanctified Kindred tend to thrive in Carthian domains, so long as the governing body does not outlaw the Sanctified’s religion. If it remains legal, the Church is treated as a perfectly acceptable refuge (and outlet) for vampires with a yearning for spirituality and ritual (and, some say, anachronism). If the Church’s Bishop is politically passive, The Lancea Sanctum is treated by most Carthian leaders as little more than a relatively harmless social club, a place for like-minded, old-fashioned Kindred to pass the time. Of course, the Carthians of some domains don’t have quite as much tolerance for religious orders of any kind, and may well choose to outlaw the Church.
The local Lancea Sanctum leadership may appoint a representative of the parish to act as liaison (or recruiter) for the Carthians. Whereas a liaison to other factions might be chosen for his religious insight or familiarity with scripture and custom, a delegate to the Carthians is more likely to be chosen for his raw charisma. Sanctified elders know the Carthians rely on appearance to influence their own membership and don’t expect to build bridges with needless challenges.
In domains where the Sanctified have grown restless with the covenant’s traditional relationship with The Invictus — or in cities where such relationships never existed — the Lancea Sanctum may be eager to find a new partner in politics. The Carthian social apparatus is built to facilitate easy communication and a sense of social belonging among the scattered and secretive members of Kindred society, so it is likewise well-suited to the spreading of Sanctified gospel. Those young revolutionaries huddled around the back table of the all-night coffeehouse, waggling well-worn copies of political tracts, could put The Testament on their reading list. The activist speaking out at Elysium can draw on the story of Longinus for powerful metaphors of lone vampires with the wisdom and might to reform Kindred society.
The drive to involve the evangel of Longinus in the formative stages of Carthian governments isn’t necessarily subversive, however. (Such skullduggery would traditionally be left to The Invictus, anyway.) Sanctified Priests are genuinely concerned that a movement away from traditional vampiric social structures would endanger the souls of Kindred who mistake the Lancea Sanctum as a political organization. The Lancea Sanctum doesn’t want tonight’s revolutionaries thinking there’sno room for religion in a radical new vampire state.
The Carthians and the Sanctified therefore have a common goal: to attract and bind together an ever-changing society of young vampires. Not only does an alliance with the Carthians allow The Testament of Longinus to reach even Kindred who might not have participated in religion as mortals, it allows the Lancea Sanctum to modernize itself in the eyes of neonates. If the Lancea Sanctum is to simultaneously maintain a demeanor of contemporary relevance and ancient significance, it may need the expertise of the Carthians. Sharing the manpower of the two covenants benefits them both; every Carthian or Sanctified vampire brought into one covenant is also one less enemy for the other.
The Lancea Sanctum believes a Kindred’s personal betterment — by playing the role laid out by God — demands a dedication to personal responsibility. Carthian treatises say personal betterment — by filling the roles demanded by society — requires similar personal responsibility. The two covenants can certainly coexist productively. As a Kindred must keep his intellect in balance with his predatory role to avoid devolving into a ravenous beast, so must he keep his ambitions in balance with his civil duties to prevent a new state from devolving into anarchy.
Neutral
Carthians: "Hiding something malignant."
Ordo Dracul: "Cannot comprehend the value of self."
The Ordo Dracul, of all covenants, is the easiest for the members of The Carthian Movement to get along with. Viewed by most, perhaps erroneously, as nothing more than a secular, scholarly organization, its members are often respected for their perceived intellect and wisdom. Although a minuscule number of members (or former members) of the Order number among the adherents of The Carthian Movement, the two covenants often enjoy a relatively civil dialog. If there is anything about The Ordo Dracul that invokes the displeasure of the Carthians, it’s the Dragons’ tendency toward isolationism and esotericism. Their unwillingness to share information and their reticence in political maneuverings sometimes strikes the Movement as unnecessarily obstructive.
Alliances with The Ordo Dracul are almost always strict arrangements of trade: items and information that appeals to the Order are bought and sold in exchange for political support, territorial access and occasional harboring from oppressive forces. Formal alliance is not entirely uncommon, but it’s relatively common knowledge that any relationship with a member of The Ordo Dracul will go only so far as long as you remain outside their covenant.
Very, very few Kindred convert from The Ordo Dracul to The Carthian Movement wholeheartedly. Only those who are disappointed in the teachings of the Order, for one reason or another, are likely to join up. Even they are more likely to withdraw completely from vampire society, though, remaining members of their covenant without participating in its traditions, or becoming unaligned and disappearing from Kindred politics entirely.
Likewise, The Ordo Dracul is often allowed to function relatively unmolested under Carthian government. Members of the Order are more than willing to participate in votes or debates, so long as such things don’t take too much time away from the Dragons’ own pursuits; when politics does take too much time, the Dragons are all too happy to forfeit their positions, allowing The Carthian Movement to direct their choice. The Dragons’ occasional unwillingness to answer questions about the details of their Research can raise the ire of particularly domineering Carthians, but stubborn silence is usually the least of a repressive ruler’s worries.
Many Dragons regard The Carthian Movement as the covenant with the most potential (aside from The Ordo Dracul itself, of course). After all, the Carthians embrace change with almost as much zeal as the Dragons, even if their attitudes toward change are a bit different. The Ordo Dracul sees change as a means to understanding and transcending the vampiric condition, whereas the Carthians’ understanding of the phenomenon of changes seems to the Ordo to stop with the platitude “change is good.” Change, argue the Dragons, isn’t good or evil in and of itself, but therein lies the main point of contention between the two covenants. The Ordo Dracul is a scientific and scholarly covenant, while The Carthian Movement is political. Therefore, their attitudes regarding when and how the Status quo must change are necessarily different.
When members of the two covenants figure this simple truth out, they can come to a frighteningly effective accord. After all, The Ordo Dracul is, by matter of practice, not much of a threat to The Carthian Movement. The Ordo Dracul doesn’t have a vested interest, as a covenant, in keeping those in power from falling (although of course those in power do have a vested interest in staying there). As such, The Ordo Dracul isn’t necessarily opposed to the Carthians’ methods of determining government. In cities where the Carthians hold power, The Ordo Dracul often outwardly supports the Movement’s rhetoric and participates in their “elections.” In cities where The Ordo Dracul holds praxis but where courting the favor of the Carthians is advantageous, the Dragons sometimes use elections or other somewhat democratic methods for determining their leaders. (These elections are often rigged, of course, but that’s not the point.) In other cities, the two covenants might agree on an oligarchy or a meritocracy. Both forms of government are similar to what The Ordo Dracul practices anyway, and in matters not pertaining to the covenant’s Research, the Dragons often don’t have a problem sharing temporal power.
Even The Ordo Dracul, not an ancient covenant as compared to The Lancea Sanctum, The Circle of the Crone or The Invictus, was fairly well established when The Carthian Movement began. That said, the Dragons do understand revolution. As students of change and history, they can point to many times when the only option for escaping an oppressive ruler’s thumb was open revolt and bloodshed. Most Dragons are intelligent enough to realize that the Carthians aren’t the true “underdogs” in Kindred society, however — they are simply a unified voice. Dragons who have made a study of the life of their founder, Vlad Tepes, note that he was something of political visionary himself. He killed off many of the nobles who preceded his principle reign and installed a new aristocracy, largely drawn from the ranks of the common folk. A Dragon taking the reins of power in a new city can win great support from The Carthian Movement by doing much the same thing.
One of the biggest points of contention between The Ordo Dracul and the Carthians is probably the former’s emphasis on manners and propriety. While not all Carthians are boors or loudmouthed rabble-rousers, enough of them Ignore decorum to irritate traditionalist and conservative Dragons.
Ordo Dracul: "Cannot comprehend the value of self."
The Ordo Dracul, of all covenants, is the easiest for the members of The Carthian Movement to get along with. Viewed by most, perhaps erroneously, as nothing more than a secular, scholarly organization, its members are often respected for their perceived intellect and wisdom. Although a minuscule number of members (or former members) of the Order number among the adherents of The Carthian Movement, the two covenants often enjoy a relatively civil dialog. If there is anything about The Ordo Dracul that invokes the displeasure of the Carthians, it’s the Dragons’ tendency toward isolationism and esotericism. Their unwillingness to share information and their reticence in political maneuverings sometimes strikes the Movement as unnecessarily obstructive.
Alliances with The Ordo Dracul are almost always strict arrangements of trade: items and information that appeals to the Order are bought and sold in exchange for political support, territorial access and occasional harboring from oppressive forces. Formal alliance is not entirely uncommon, but it’s relatively common knowledge that any relationship with a member of The Ordo Dracul will go only so far as long as you remain outside their covenant.
Very, very few Kindred convert from The Ordo Dracul to The Carthian Movement wholeheartedly. Only those who are disappointed in the teachings of the Order, for one reason or another, are likely to join up. Even they are more likely to withdraw completely from vampire society, though, remaining members of their covenant without participating in its traditions, or becoming unaligned and disappearing from Kindred politics entirely.
Likewise, The Ordo Dracul is often allowed to function relatively unmolested under Carthian government. Members of the Order are more than willing to participate in votes or debates, so long as such things don’t take too much time away from the Dragons’ own pursuits; when politics does take too much time, the Dragons are all too happy to forfeit their positions, allowing The Carthian Movement to direct their choice. The Dragons’ occasional unwillingness to answer questions about the details of their Research can raise the ire of particularly domineering Carthians, but stubborn silence is usually the least of a repressive ruler’s worries.
Many Dragons regard The Carthian Movement as the covenant with the most potential (aside from The Ordo Dracul itself, of course). After all, the Carthians embrace change with almost as much zeal as the Dragons, even if their attitudes toward change are a bit different. The Ordo Dracul sees change as a means to understanding and transcending the vampiric condition, whereas the Carthians’ understanding of the phenomenon of changes seems to the Ordo to stop with the platitude “change is good.” Change, argue the Dragons, isn’t good or evil in and of itself, but therein lies the main point of contention between the two covenants. The Ordo Dracul is a scientific and scholarly covenant, while The Carthian Movement is political. Therefore, their attitudes regarding when and how the Status quo must change are necessarily different.
When members of the two covenants figure this simple truth out, they can come to a frighteningly effective accord. After all, The Ordo Dracul is, by matter of practice, not much of a threat to The Carthian Movement. The Ordo Dracul doesn’t have a vested interest, as a covenant, in keeping those in power from falling (although of course those in power do have a vested interest in staying there). As such, The Ordo Dracul isn’t necessarily opposed to the Carthians’ methods of determining government. In cities where the Carthians hold power, The Ordo Dracul often outwardly supports the Movement’s rhetoric and participates in their “elections.” In cities where The Ordo Dracul holds praxis but where courting the favor of the Carthians is advantageous, the Dragons sometimes use elections or other somewhat democratic methods for determining their leaders. (These elections are often rigged, of course, but that’s not the point.) In other cities, the two covenants might agree on an oligarchy or a meritocracy. Both forms of government are similar to what The Ordo Dracul practices anyway, and in matters not pertaining to the covenant’s Research, the Dragons often don’t have a problem sharing temporal power.
Even The Ordo Dracul, not an ancient covenant as compared to The Lancea Sanctum, The Circle of the Crone or The Invictus, was fairly well established when The Carthian Movement began. That said, the Dragons do understand revolution. As students of change and history, they can point to many times when the only option for escaping an oppressive ruler’s thumb was open revolt and bloodshed. Most Dragons are intelligent enough to realize that the Carthians aren’t the true “underdogs” in Kindred society, however — they are simply a unified voice. Dragons who have made a study of the life of their founder, Vlad Tepes, note that he was something of political visionary himself. He killed off many of the nobles who preceded his principle reign and installed a new aristocracy, largely drawn from the ranks of the common folk. A Dragon taking the reins of power in a new city can win great support from The Carthian Movement by doing much the same thing.
One of the biggest points of contention between The Ordo Dracul and the Carthians is probably the former’s emphasis on manners and propriety. While not all Carthians are boors or loudmouthed rabble-rousers, enough of them Ignore decorum to irritate traditionalist and conservative Dragons.
Neutral
Carthian: "Selfish and without cause."
As far as most Carthians are concerned, The Unaligned form little more than an unguided talent pool for the Movement. Disorganized, unwilling or unable to commit to structured causes and often fiercely proud, unaligned vampires can be slow to learn the lessons Carthians are all too willing to teach, but The Unaligned are also more likely to see things the Carthian way than any other. At least The Unaligned get an equal voice under most models of Carthian government, so long as they’re willing to call themselves citizens. The attraction of a group that’s willing to defend your right to speak for yourself is undeniable, especially in domains that are dangerous for vampires without any friends.
In fact, disputes with unaligned vampires most often arise when they refuse to throw in with The Carthian Movement in defiance of all the good reasons to do so. Stubborn pride and fiercely individualist tendencies may be tolerable traits to the Carthians, but refusing an honest hand of solidarity under reasonable circumstances can be perceived as suicidal arrogance. Frustration with adamantly independent Kindred is not uncommon within the Movement, especially when the added muscle could really help the Carthian cause, improving conditions for all vampires in a domain.
The unbound enjoy an unusual level of safety and freedom in most Carthian-run domains, although The Unaligned almost always complain that the Movement pressures them to abandon their solitary Status and join up as covenant-mates, whether or not their personal philosophy meshes with the ruling system in the territory. As a potential pool of Allies (and a sure-fire resistance force if another covenant tries to seize control), The Unaligned are usually left to their own devices just to keep them pacified.
As far as most Carthians are concerned, The Unaligned form little more than an unguided talent pool for the Movement. Disorganized, unwilling or unable to commit to structured causes and often fiercely proud, unaligned vampires can be slow to learn the lessons Carthians are all too willing to teach, but The Unaligned are also more likely to see things the Carthian way than any other. At least The Unaligned get an equal voice under most models of Carthian government, so long as they’re willing to call themselves citizens. The attraction of a group that’s willing to defend your right to speak for yourself is undeniable, especially in domains that are dangerous for vampires without any friends.
In fact, disputes with unaligned vampires most often arise when they refuse to throw in with The Carthian Movement in defiance of all the good reasons to do so. Stubborn pride and fiercely individualist tendencies may be tolerable traits to the Carthians, but refusing an honest hand of solidarity under reasonable circumstances can be perceived as suicidal arrogance. Frustration with adamantly independent Kindred is not uncommon within the Movement, especially when the added muscle could really help the Carthian cause, improving conditions for all vampires in a domain.
The unbound enjoy an unusual level of safety and freedom in most Carthian-run domains, although The Unaligned almost always complain that the Movement pressures them to abandon their solitary Status and join up as covenant-mates, whether or not their personal philosophy meshes with the ruling system in the territory. As a potential pool of Allies (and a sure-fire resistance force if another covenant tries to seize control), The Unaligned are usually left to their own devices just to keep them pacified.
Barely Neutral
Carthians: "Viciously anachronistic."
Invictus: "No respect for tradition."
On paper, you can’t find a covenant more opposed to the views of The Carthian Movement than The Invictus. The “Power to the People” ideology is anathema to the feudal systems of heredity nobility and stratified classes, and will find little support or purchase with them. In the eyes of The Invictus, their long-tested system is not only a good one, it is unquestionably the best possible one. The attempts of the Carthians to alter or replace the feudal system with mortal progressions are considered immature and foolish at best, idiotic and dangerous at worst.
That isn’t to say that the two covenants are always at odds, though. Quite the contrary. Both are secular, so they speak a common Language of unmuddied politics, and both are often willing to make deals to ensure the smooth function of a domain. Invictus Kindred aren’t nearly as interested in dominating every vampire as they are in ensuring safe and prosperous futures for themselves. Carthians often find themselves forming pacts of non-interference with The Invictus, and The Invictus are rarely the ones who violate those pacts.
Problems between the covenants most often arise when the Carthians see fit to protest the workings of The Invictus within its own boundaries, attempting to force the Inner Circle to allow its lesser vampires rights and freedoms beyond those outlined in their Oaths of Fealty. Perceived (or actual) abuse of less powerful Kindred within the system of the Invictusoften spurs selfless (or opportunistic) Carthians to action, and can lead to serious conflict. The duty-bound vampires of The Invictus are, after all, the property of their superiors. When the Carthians decide to interfere with The Invictus vampire, the Carthians are invading the territory of the elders, whether the Carthians realize it or not.
The members of The Invictus who are most likely to convert to Carthian philosophy are almost always young, less powerful Kindred. They are the ones who find themselves chafing under the system of absolute fealty to experience and tradition (most especially in the modern West, coming from relatively free mortal lives), and the promise of equality under Carthian law often appeals. To win these Invictus members over, the Movement needs to demonstrate that the material gains offered by Invictus membership are not the gifts young Kindred tend to think they are, and the Carthians need to overcome the fear Invictus members have of violating their complicated oaths and obligations. Tense negotiations often accompany the defection of any Invictus neonate, as the Carthians must deal with The Invictus elder who formerly lorded over the young vampire in question. The conversion of the neonate represents a loss of resource to the elder, and a failure to compensate him can result in the nullification of treaties or agreements between the covenants.
Unlife under Invictus rule can be difficult for Carthians, since the imposition of Oaths of Service may be applied to all Kindred simply to preclude the notion of revolt. Any such oath restricts the freedoms of those who take it on and may interfere with the operating policy of the Movement in the domain. Even without the oaths of The Invictus, Carthian Kindred often chafe at the extremely conservative values and fashions of the ruling covenant, making spectacles of themselves in hopes of spurring change.
Invictus Kindred dwelling under Carthian rule will almost always opt out of the spirit of the Movement’s governing attempts, still looking to their Inner Circle to render all decisions. Pure democracies are undermined by the votes of the Inner Circle, which are unanimously supported as a bloc by the rest of The Invictus. Attempts to enforce communal behavior are frequently resisted, and constitutional law is never honored.
In many domains, the Invictus sees The Carthian Movement not as a real threat, but as a wayward thorn in the First Estate’s side, an unruly mob of neonates barely a step away from pistol-waving, bomb-throwing anarchy. The First Estate does not like The Carthian Movement and does not understand what has brought the Carthians to the bizarre philosophies they espouse. After all, no other creature on the planet insists on being led by its least experienced members or tries to mimic the social conventions of its food, so why should Kindred? The elders of the First Estate scoff at the naïve ideologies of the Carthians even as they chafe at the young covenant’s rapid growth.
To the Invictus eye, The Carthian Movement is built upside down. It violates every principle of sound organizational structure. The Carthian Movement puts power in the hands of the average and the unremarkable. It empowers Kindred who have little or no concept of how to comport themselves in the Requiem. Carthian philosophies seem to restrict older, more powerful and more experienced members for the sake of equality, weakening the best to achieve a vulnerable mediocrity.
Not only is such organization disrespectful, it’s dangerous and in violation of everything the Invictus stands for. Many Invictus find it unspeakably tedious to have to expend effort to keep its own neonates loyal. Once, Kindred at every stage of the Requiem flocked to the Invictus. Once, Kindred would do anything, suffer any indignity, just to play a small role in the nightly operations of the First Estate.
The rise of The Carthian Movement had a terrible impact on that state of affairs. Suddenly, neonates were looking askance at the notion of hierarchy itself, and — given the choice between pushing themselves to be something in the Invictus or wallowing around with the lowest common denominator of The Carthian Movement, they chose the latter — inexplicably, as far as the First Estate was concerned. Now, Society elders and ancillae in many domains must court new vassals and protégés from the broader ranks of the neonates.
The initial impression of First Estate Kindred, elders in particular, was that modern technology had made mortals weak, lazy and unwilling to work to achieve their true potential. Many First Estate Kindred feel that way about the neonates drawn from modern mortals as well.
In the modern nights, the Invictus pays more attention to recruiting and keeping members than the covenant ever did (or had to do) in the past, but doesn’t especially go out of its way to attract members from the young ranks of the Carthian rabble. On the contrary, many Invictus elders think of the Carthians as a politically oriented prep school or an elaborate obstacle course. Carthian society carries the burden of socializing young Kindred while inadvertently preparing them for long, inevitable years of service to the Invictus.
As far as the First Estate is concerned, the will to power is immortal but the urge to play games and tinker around with political ideologies is not. Most members of the Invictus believe that, in the end, ancillae and elders will grow tired of Carthian games and take their talents and experience where they are appreciated and rewarded, where ancillae and elders are treated the way powerful elder Kindred ought to be treated: the Invictus.
Consequently, when the Invictus takes hostile action against The Carthian Movement, the First Estate moves most aggressively against the other covenant’s brash younger members. At the same time, Invictus members continue to build bridges of temptation to Carthian elders and established ancillae. Nearly all Invictus elders are secretly (or not so secretly) of the belief that Carthian elders just need to see how much better the Requiem is for the established Kindred of the First Estate. Once these Carthian elders think through the long-term consequences of Carthian affiliation, how could they not opt to leave the rabble behind? Instead of making war on Carthian elders, then, the elders of the First Estate subtly court these Carthians, defer to them, flatter them, treat them as the Invictus believes elders ought to be treated. In short, Invictus elders do everything but send the Carthian elders formal invitations to defect.
Often, the practice works. Not only do Carthian elders tire of the hoops their neonates make them jump through, but young Carthians witness the camaraderie extended to their elders by the Invictus and immediately jump to conclusions; the Carthian neonates assume that their own elders are somehow colluding with the enemy, and the situation degrades from there — until they effectively force their elders to jump ship for the First Estate.
If nothing else, Carthians that never come to understand the attraction of the Invictus are out of the way. Rather than causing internal troubles for the First Estate, rebels and revolutionaries can be driven together into the uncivil pseudo-state of the Carthians, where they bicker and undermine their own revolutions with their disorder. The most savvy modern Invictus see The Carthian Movement as a fortuitous opportunity — a beatable enemy that exemplifies exactly why the modern night needs the First Estate.
Why make the same mistakes as short-lived mortal societies? Why waste so much of the Requiem on political fads and experiments when the Invictus have already found the proof? Why gamble on the Carthians when the Invictus is a sure thing?
Invictus: "No respect for tradition."
On paper, you can’t find a covenant more opposed to the views of The Carthian Movement than The Invictus. The “Power to the People” ideology is anathema to the feudal systems of heredity nobility and stratified classes, and will find little support or purchase with them. In the eyes of The Invictus, their long-tested system is not only a good one, it is unquestionably the best possible one. The attempts of the Carthians to alter or replace the feudal system with mortal progressions are considered immature and foolish at best, idiotic and dangerous at worst.
That isn’t to say that the two covenants are always at odds, though. Quite the contrary. Both are secular, so they speak a common Language of unmuddied politics, and both are often willing to make deals to ensure the smooth function of a domain. Invictus Kindred aren’t nearly as interested in dominating every vampire as they are in ensuring safe and prosperous futures for themselves. Carthians often find themselves forming pacts of non-interference with The Invictus, and The Invictus are rarely the ones who violate those pacts.
Problems between the covenants most often arise when the Carthians see fit to protest the workings of The Invictus within its own boundaries, attempting to force the Inner Circle to allow its lesser vampires rights and freedoms beyond those outlined in their Oaths of Fealty. Perceived (or actual) abuse of less powerful Kindred within the system of the Invictusoften spurs selfless (or opportunistic) Carthians to action, and can lead to serious conflict. The duty-bound vampires of The Invictus are, after all, the property of their superiors. When the Carthians decide to interfere with The Invictus vampire, the Carthians are invading the territory of the elders, whether the Carthians realize it or not.
The members of The Invictus who are most likely to convert to Carthian philosophy are almost always young, less powerful Kindred. They are the ones who find themselves chafing under the system of absolute fealty to experience and tradition (most especially in the modern West, coming from relatively free mortal lives), and the promise of equality under Carthian law often appeals. To win these Invictus members over, the Movement needs to demonstrate that the material gains offered by Invictus membership are not the gifts young Kindred tend to think they are, and the Carthians need to overcome the fear Invictus members have of violating their complicated oaths and obligations. Tense negotiations often accompany the defection of any Invictus neonate, as the Carthians must deal with The Invictus elder who formerly lorded over the young vampire in question. The conversion of the neonate represents a loss of resource to the elder, and a failure to compensate him can result in the nullification of treaties or agreements between the covenants.
Unlife under Invictus rule can be difficult for Carthians, since the imposition of Oaths of Service may be applied to all Kindred simply to preclude the notion of revolt. Any such oath restricts the freedoms of those who take it on and may interfere with the operating policy of the Movement in the domain. Even without the oaths of The Invictus, Carthian Kindred often chafe at the extremely conservative values and fashions of the ruling covenant, making spectacles of themselves in hopes of spurring change.
Invictus Kindred dwelling under Carthian rule will almost always opt out of the spirit of the Movement’s governing attempts, still looking to their Inner Circle to render all decisions. Pure democracies are undermined by the votes of the Inner Circle, which are unanimously supported as a bloc by the rest of The Invictus. Attempts to enforce communal behavior are frequently resisted, and constitutional law is never honored.
In many domains, the Invictus sees The Carthian Movement not as a real threat, but as a wayward thorn in the First Estate’s side, an unruly mob of neonates barely a step away from pistol-waving, bomb-throwing anarchy. The First Estate does not like The Carthian Movement and does not understand what has brought the Carthians to the bizarre philosophies they espouse. After all, no other creature on the planet insists on being led by its least experienced members or tries to mimic the social conventions of its food, so why should Kindred? The elders of the First Estate scoff at the naïve ideologies of the Carthians even as they chafe at the young covenant’s rapid growth.
To the Invictus eye, The Carthian Movement is built upside down. It violates every principle of sound organizational structure. The Carthian Movement puts power in the hands of the average and the unremarkable. It empowers Kindred who have little or no concept of how to comport themselves in the Requiem. Carthian philosophies seem to restrict older, more powerful and more experienced members for the sake of equality, weakening the best to achieve a vulnerable mediocrity.
Not only is such organization disrespectful, it’s dangerous and in violation of everything the Invictus stands for. Many Invictus find it unspeakably tedious to have to expend effort to keep its own neonates loyal. Once, Kindred at every stage of the Requiem flocked to the Invictus. Once, Kindred would do anything, suffer any indignity, just to play a small role in the nightly operations of the First Estate.
The rise of The Carthian Movement had a terrible impact on that state of affairs. Suddenly, neonates were looking askance at the notion of hierarchy itself, and — given the choice between pushing themselves to be something in the Invictus or wallowing around with the lowest common denominator of The Carthian Movement, they chose the latter — inexplicably, as far as the First Estate was concerned. Now, Society elders and ancillae in many domains must court new vassals and protégés from the broader ranks of the neonates.
The initial impression of First Estate Kindred, elders in particular, was that modern technology had made mortals weak, lazy and unwilling to work to achieve their true potential. Many First Estate Kindred feel that way about the neonates drawn from modern mortals as well.
In the modern nights, the Invictus pays more attention to recruiting and keeping members than the covenant ever did (or had to do) in the past, but doesn’t especially go out of its way to attract members from the young ranks of the Carthian rabble. On the contrary, many Invictus elders think of the Carthians as a politically oriented prep school or an elaborate obstacle course. Carthian society carries the burden of socializing young Kindred while inadvertently preparing them for long, inevitable years of service to the Invictus.
As far as the First Estate is concerned, the will to power is immortal but the urge to play games and tinker around with political ideologies is not. Most members of the Invictus believe that, in the end, ancillae and elders will grow tired of Carthian games and take their talents and experience where they are appreciated and rewarded, where ancillae and elders are treated the way powerful elder Kindred ought to be treated: the Invictus.
Consequently, when the Invictus takes hostile action against The Carthian Movement, the First Estate moves most aggressively against the other covenant’s brash younger members. At the same time, Invictus members continue to build bridges of temptation to Carthian elders and established ancillae. Nearly all Invictus elders are secretly (or not so secretly) of the belief that Carthian elders just need to see how much better the Requiem is for the established Kindred of the First Estate. Once these Carthian elders think through the long-term consequences of Carthian affiliation, how could they not opt to leave the rabble behind? Instead of making war on Carthian elders, then, the elders of the First Estate subtly court these Carthians, defer to them, flatter them, treat them as the Invictus believes elders ought to be treated. In short, Invictus elders do everything but send the Carthian elders formal invitations to defect.
Often, the practice works. Not only do Carthian elders tire of the hoops their neonates make them jump through, but young Carthians witness the camaraderie extended to their elders by the Invictus and immediately jump to conclusions; the Carthian neonates assume that their own elders are somehow colluding with the enemy, and the situation degrades from there — until they effectively force their elders to jump ship for the First Estate.
If nothing else, Carthians that never come to understand the attraction of the Invictus are out of the way. Rather than causing internal troubles for the First Estate, rebels and revolutionaries can be driven together into the uncivil pseudo-state of the Carthians, where they bicker and undermine their own revolutions with their disorder. The most savvy modern Invictus see The Carthian Movement as a fortuitous opportunity — a beatable enemy that exemplifies exactly why the modern night needs the First Estate.
Why make the same mistakes as short-lived mortal societies? Why waste so much of the Requiem on political fads and experiments when the Invictus have already found the proof? Why gamble on the Carthians when the Invictus is a sure thing?
Hostile
To the Forsworn, the vampires of The Carthian Movement personify the worst degeneration of the vampiric ideal. Parroting mortal ideologies, the Carthians are shackled to concepts such as democracy and equality, concepts that should have died along with their flesh. These Kindred are the epitome of the ‘living vampire’ that many in the Brood see as the antithesis of their core philosophy, and a secular mockery of the Pursuit. Politics, as the Carthians understand it, should remain the lazy obsession of mortal philosophers too afraid to get their hands dirty. True vampires have no use for such high-minded ideals, and the Beast is ill-used when put to such paltry work. Brood factions that have tried to incorporate political considerations into their ethos often find themselves unflatteringly compared to the leaders of The Carthian Movement. Considering that soma-aspected factions are usually at the forefront of such endeavors to construct a meaningful political framework within the Brood, these factions often go out of their way to demonstrate their scorn for any Carthian the factions can get their hands on.
Despite the special attention of the soma-aspected, such as the Roaring Serpent or the Throne of Smokeless Fire, this disdain is not only limited to Forsworn aligned with these factions. In fact, maligning the precepts of The Carthian Movement has become a bit of a rhetorical pastime amongst Forsworn ancillae, regardless of their faction affiliation. These quasi-philosophical debates have dug a deep well of antipathy toward the Carthians. Younger Forsworn grasping for acceptance in the Brood can find themselves falling into the trap of reflexively adopting anti-Carthian rhetoric as their own. For a covenant that cherishes independence, creativity and activism, the Carthians stand as a painfully embarrassing reminder of how low a vampire can sink when he makes a fetish of his former life.
While many within Belial’s Brood find The Carthian Movement’s appeal to members of the Unbound disturbing, their differences do not stem from a simple tussle over the same pool of recruits. While Belial’s Brood despises constraints on individual freedom and revels in unburdening the fetters of mortal conscience, the Carthians sell a twisted mockery of the Brood’s own dogma. The Forsworn see the Carthian interpretation of freedom and equality as a lie, opium for the dull and dimwitted to insure the Beast’s slavery to the Man. Real freedom is personified by the Pursuit and leaving behind the baggage of breathing days.
Still, domains with a Carthian and a Brood presence are not always destined to devolve into bitter warfare. Despite knee-jerk animosity from most members of Belial’s Brood, The Carthian Movement is not seen as an existential threat by the more far-seeing brethren of the Forsworn. While nomadic coveys or violent individuals might single out a Carthian vampire for particularly rough treatment, most faction heads realize that The Carthian Movement as a whole has little interest in interfering with the Brood’s nightly endeavors. Although the Brood and The Carthian Movement may squabble and clash, true mortals hold more interest for dedicated members of the Brood than vampires who play at living.
On the rare occasions when vampires of Belial’s Brood conspire with members of The Carthian Movement, the union often ends in bickering and bloodshed. Only the most self-serving Forsworn vampire can long endure the inane ramblings and perverse theories of a Carthian “ally.” When such partnerships do take place, it is usually in the form of a pact of mutual protection against a hostile third element. Carthians, who would think of the Brood as nihilists indulging in violent power fantasies, would be confused by the overtly spiritual nature of the covenant. While a few Forsworn have been known to find unexpected friends among those Carthians who hold freedom as an ideal beyond empty rhetoric, these liaisons are usually dissolved out of fear that their respective covenants will catch wind of them.
Despite the special attention of the soma-aspected, such as the Roaring Serpent or the Throne of Smokeless Fire, this disdain is not only limited to Forsworn aligned with these factions. In fact, maligning the precepts of The Carthian Movement has become a bit of a rhetorical pastime amongst Forsworn ancillae, regardless of their faction affiliation. These quasi-philosophical debates have dug a deep well of antipathy toward the Carthians. Younger Forsworn grasping for acceptance in the Brood can find themselves falling into the trap of reflexively adopting anti-Carthian rhetoric as their own. For a covenant that cherishes independence, creativity and activism, the Carthians stand as a painfully embarrassing reminder of how low a vampire can sink when he makes a fetish of his former life.
While many within Belial’s Brood find The Carthian Movement’s appeal to members of the Unbound disturbing, their differences do not stem from a simple tussle over the same pool of recruits. While Belial’s Brood despises constraints on individual freedom and revels in unburdening the fetters of mortal conscience, the Carthians sell a twisted mockery of the Brood’s own dogma. The Forsworn see the Carthian interpretation of freedom and equality as a lie, opium for the dull and dimwitted to insure the Beast’s slavery to the Man. Real freedom is personified by the Pursuit and leaving behind the baggage of breathing days.
Still, domains with a Carthian and a Brood presence are not always destined to devolve into bitter warfare. Despite knee-jerk animosity from most members of Belial’s Brood, The Carthian Movement is not seen as an existential threat by the more far-seeing brethren of the Forsworn. While nomadic coveys or violent individuals might single out a Carthian vampire for particularly rough treatment, most faction heads realize that The Carthian Movement as a whole has little interest in interfering with the Brood’s nightly endeavors. Although the Brood and The Carthian Movement may squabble and clash, true mortals hold more interest for dedicated members of the Brood than vampires who play at living.
Forsworn–Carthian Partnerships
Forsworn coveys in a city controlled by The Carthian Movement often find that the needs of the Pursuit far outweigh any cultural distaste they might feel for their “hosts,” shying away from confronting Carthian vampires and concentrating on mortal victims. On the other hand, Carthian cells in Brood territories are rarely given the opportunity to strike up any meaningful relationships with the Forsworn before being attacked by the overzealous. Brethren of the Brood are often relieved to discover that the Powers That Be in a Carthian domain are less likely to interfere with the Brood’s predations on mortals. However, mistaking Carthian laissez-faire attitudes for apathy can lead to mounting atrocities, as the Forsworn indulge the opportunity to flaunt the purity of their convictions. The Throne of Smokeless Fire is even known to have gone so far as to antagonize one Carthian-led city in North America by setting up brutal courts to try Carthian hostages using mortal standards, with the Djinn reportedly handing down no acquittals, of course.On the rare occasions when vampires of Belial’s Brood conspire with members of The Carthian Movement, the union often ends in bickering and bloodshed. Only the most self-serving Forsworn vampire can long endure the inane ramblings and perverse theories of a Carthian “ally.” When such partnerships do take place, it is usually in the form of a pact of mutual protection against a hostile third element. Carthians, who would think of the Brood as nihilists indulging in violent power fantasies, would be confused by the overtly spiritual nature of the covenant. While a few Forsworn have been known to find unexpected friends among those Carthians who hold freedom as an ideal beyond empty rhetoric, these liaisons are usually dissolved out of fear that their respective covenants will catch wind of them.