The Ordo Dracul - The Danse Macabre
Obedience
The Ordo Dracul is a rigid hierarchy predicated on the obedience of a subordinate’s position to superiors. If a Sworn Adept gives an order to an Initiate, the Initiate must obey. In theory.In practice, the demanded obedience is less than total.
Countermands
The most common reason that an underling disobeys a command is that someone of even higher rank told her to. An unsworn Scholar tells a Scribe to carry a message to a local Harpy, and a Sworn Scholar tells the Scribe not to. The Scribe should therefore leave The Message unsent, because someone Oathbound always outranks someone with no Oath. If the Scribe has been given orders to discuss (or refuse to discuss) the delivery of The Message, those orders ought be obeyed. If no such orders have been given, discussing the topic is left to the Scribe’s discretion.Contradictory Commands
One Sworn Master orders an Initiate to set out to Milwaukee immediately to fetch a fleeing ghoul. Another Sworn Master tells her to hit the library and prepare a translation of The Requiem of Fouchard the Elder into Hebrew as soon as possible. If the Initiate can’t delegate one task or another, and can’t persuade one of her Masters to give her a break, she has the right to choose who she’s going to obey. It should be obvious that such decisions can have a serious impact on the underling’s future career. Negotiating these obligations is doubly important if each Master can teach her something that the other Master cannot.Unreasonable Commands
Decades of debate among the Sworn of the Mystery, and an emergent body of legal precedent, has forbidden certain classes of command. While not every chapter of Dragons even agrees that legal precedents matter (in some cities, they just consider every legal case to be utterly unique) and while some Philosophers (or Dragon Princes) make exceptions, the following classes of orders do not usually need be obeyed.Learning the classes of unreasonable commands isn’t that difficult. Someone who discusses the matter with informed Dragons can learn of one type of forbidden command for every success on a Wits + Politics roll. Similarly, any character with access to a library of Dragon history and philosophy can figure them all out with a successful Intelligence + Academics roll. If the library has a section on legal texts, the roll gets a +2 bonus.
Self-Destruction
Regardless of authority differential, no Dragon has the right to order another to cast herself into a blast furnace. This injunction also applies to indirectly self-destructive orders such as “go pick a fight with those Lupines” or “go spit in the Prince’s face.” Of course, not every case in which an underling invokes the self-destruction clause to defy a command is quite so clear-cut. An order to perform a dangerous task is often acceptable, as long as the dangers are not so obviously overwhelming as to constitute near-certain death. Furthermore, someone Sworn of the Axe who refuses a command that’s “too dangerous” is unlikely to progress much further in the Order.Undue Sacrifice
Ordering a wealthy underling to liquidate all her worldly goods and hand them over is unreasonable. Ordo authorities can issue commands on behalf of Order business: they do not have carte blanche to rob anyone who happens to be have inferior rank. Similarly, Ordo authorities cannot summarily take possession of underlings’ havens, herds or other hard-won rewards.In many (but, importantly not all) areas, superiors also cannot compel underlings to disclose information that was given in confidence, nor to coerce instruction in secret matters (usually disciplines or devotions) either for themselves or their underlings. The attitude that “we must respect clan secrets if we expect our members to respect covenant secrets” is more widespread in America than elsewhere, but it’s an idea that gets more and more play in modern nights.
Once more, the restriction against undue sacrifice has room for debate. “Give all your money to me” is obviously beyond the pale. “Take control of Darrow Biotechnical,” however, is probably okay — even though the Kindred getting the order is going to have to expend a great deal of her Resources to complete the order.
Treacherous Commands
All levels of the Order agree that under no circumstances should any Dragon betray her betters or The Ordo Dracul itself — even if given a direct command. Thus, an order to teach the Coils to someone of another covenant is invalid, as is a command to assassinate a higher- (and, in some domains, lower-) ranked fellow Dragon. The uncertain elements with this injunction all come down to matters in which the value of an act or datum to the covenant’s “enemies” is ambiguous. Giving the Carthians a list of all the Sworn of the Axe in a city is certainly wrong. But if a superior gives the command to escort one Carthian to one Haven of one Axe-bearer, is that acceptable? It may be up to the judgment of the individual — and if he decides to refuse, it may then be decided by jury.Violantions of Personal Sovereignty
In all but a few chapters, no Dragon has the authority to order another to apologize for anything. Of course, that doesn’t stop many elders from suggesting it to underlings in the strongest Language possible. An elder cannot arbitrarily command a subordinate to make love with her, or drink her blood, or offer her blood to her. (Or rather, if the older vampire does so, it’s not a command backed by The Ordo Dracul.) Perhaps most importantly, no member of The Ordo Dracul can command another to accept her, or anyone else, as an instructor. The choice of tutor is legally protected for all in the Order (though, it must be said, many in the upper ranks neglect to inform underlings of this decision — especially underlings they’ve personally Embraced).Disobedience
A structure so predicated on obedience needs systems to deal with questions of insubordination. The Ordo Dracul has them in spades.The Juris Draconis
The most universal means for resolving a dispute in The Ordo Dracul is to convene a Juris Draconis. Anyone who refuses an order, and anyone who has an order refused, has the right to demand a hearing, but it is not necessarily something to do lightly.For a Dragon Jury, the plaintiff is defined as the person who calls for the inquiry — it could be someone who believes an order is unreasonable and wishes to have that belief formally confirmed or dismissed. More commonly, a Dragon of higher Status whose order has been ignored, failed or performed in a negligent fashion calls for a jury to impose some form of official punishment on the disappointing underling. (Many Dragons impose private and “unofficial” reprimands, often more severe than a Dragon Jury can rightfully declare. But the formal verdict is final. It is the judgment of the Order. A personal punishment is just that — individual, personal, possibly just a caprice.) Other judgments are weighed by Dragon Juries, but they’re rare. In all of them, however, the party who stands accused is called the defendant.
The court that hears and judges the case is composed of three Order members. One is to be of lesser rank than either plaintiff or defendant, if that’s possible. That member is called the Minor Judge. One is to be of greater rank than both parties, if that’s possible. That functionary is the Superior Judge. The third member of the jury can be of any rank, and is the Judge of Division.
At least one judge must be Sworn of the Dying Light. Otherwise, the Juris Draconis has no formal standing. Most commonly, the Judge of Division is Sworn of the Dying Light. Not infrequently, two or more judges have taken that Oath.
The plaintiff submits three candidates for Superior Judge, and the defendant chooses one. The defendant then submits three candidates for Minor Judge, and the plaintiff chooses one. Once the Minor and Superior Judges are selected, their ranks are considered to be exactly equal for the purposes of the trial, and they together select the Judge of Division. For trial matters only, the Judge of Division is superior in rank to both the other judges, the plaintiff and the defendant.
The Minor Judge is expected to initiate the proceedings by describing the case in neutral terms, to keep scrupulous notes of all that is said before the jury and to formally announce the verdict at the end.
The Superior Judge is responsible for all scheduling matters — deciding when the trial begins and ends each night, and deciding the order in which any witnesses are deployed.
The Judge of Division has no duties save to mediate the cloistered discussion between the other judges after the material of the case is presented.
The structure of the trial is as follows. First the Minor Judge describes the case. The defendant speaks next, giving her version of events. Then the plaintiff does the same. After that, the jury cross-examines both parties. This, the first phase of the trial, usually takes one to three days.
If a witness phase is necessary, that comes next, with the Superior Judge deciding the order in which witnesses are called. Each witness presents her testimony in her own words, uninterrupted. Afterwards, each submits to questions by the plaintiff and defendant (in whatever order the Superior Judge decides) and then by the judges themselves. The witness phase can last for months, or it can be omitted entirely, depending on the nature of the case.
Third, the plaintiff and defendant present their closing arguments, with the plaintiff again speaking first. After that, the judges get a final bout of questions before they are cloistered to debate their verdict. While the judges are recused, the principals of the trial are absolutely forbidden to see one another, speak or exchange messages.
The judges are given no more than thirty days to reach a verdict (though typically it doesn’t take that long) after which the Minor Judge reads the decree at the next Caucus and explains the sentence or punishment, if any is imposed.
A Juris Draconis has the authority to impose any of the following punishments, in rising order of severity:
- Public condemnation before an Order Caucus.
- Fines not to exceed half the party’s total wealth, or US $1 million.
- Punitive Torpor, for a period not to exceed one year.
- A single-stage Vinculum of one party to the other, or of either party to the Judge of Division. The exception, of course, is for those Sworn of the Mysteries, who are not subject to punitive Vinculums.
- Ejection from the Oaths of the Axe or the Dying Light, but only if one of the judges has taken the same oath, and only if the court was convened specifically on the grounds that the defendant was Sworn under false pretenses.
- Removal from the position of Guardian, but only if the court was convened on the specific grounds that the Guardian is unfit for the job.
Of course, those who are Sworn have access to other means of resolving disputes.
Mystery Debates
The Sworn of the Mysteries who wish to formally settle matters, either legal questions or personal conflicts, can challenge other Sworn to a Mystery Debate. Furthermore, unsworn Dragons can challenge Oathbound of the Mysteries to such a debate, and the Oathbound has no right of refusal. (However, she does have the right to convene a Juris Draconis to decide if the challenge was frivolous.)Mystery Debates are held before a panel of three Kindred, all of whom must be Sworn of the Mysteries and all of whom should (if possible) be of higher rank than the debaters. The Kindred issuing the challenge is called the Disputant. The one being challenged is the Interlocutor. As with a Dragon Jury, each participant proposes three candidates for the panel to the other, and those thus impaneled select the third.
The third member of the panel chooses a topic on which the two Kindred are to debate. The Interlocutor decides if she wishes to argue for or against the preposition. The Disputant sets a date for the debate, which must be at least 24 hours, but no more than three days, after the challenge.
All Mystery Debates begin at noon. They are scheduled as follows:
- Disputant states her case: 12:00-12:07 p.m.
- Interlocutor cross-examines: 12:07-12:10 p.m.
- Interlocutor states her case and rebuts the Disputant: 12:10-12:20 p.m.
- Disputant cross-examines: 12:20-12:23 p.m.
- Disputant presents her rebuttal: 12:23-12:33 p.m.
- Interlocutor has final rebuttal: 12:33-12:40 p.m.
The panel has 20 minutes to decide who made the most persuasive case and then declares the winner in unison, both at the debate and the following night before an assembly of local Dragons.
Historical topics of debate include the following:
- The current Prince should be overthrown.
- The Carthian Movement is preferable to The Invictus.
- The Circle of the Crone is more dangerous than The Lancea Sanctum.
- Servitude is the only rational course for Kindred who lack the Order’s belief in transcendence of the Curse.
Tests of the Dying Light
The researchers of the Dying Light generally spend less time and attention on challenges of personal honor for the simple reason that, while the duels of the Axe are more violent, the testing structure of the Dying Light Oathbound is statistically more likely to destroy one or both of the disputing Kindred. Having studied the odds, most of the Sworn of the Dying Light are willing to let things slide and get on with their Research. It has to mean something that they’re the only group of Oathbound who are permitted to Ignore challenges from the unsworn.However, if one of the Sworn of the Dying Light does accept a challenge of this sort (either from another Oathbound or from someone unsworn — the Sworn of the Dying Light are not permitted to initiate challenges against the oathless) the matter immediately goes to the highest-ranked Sworn of the Dying Light available in the region, who is declared proctor. (If that person is one of the disputants, the next-highest ranked Sworn becomes proctor. If the disputants are the two highest-ranked Sworn, the duty keeps moving downward.)
The proctor gets one full night after the issue has been presented to decide upon a test. At dusk after the second full night after the challenge is issued, the proctor announces the test, either to the two disputants or in front of a larger assembly. The nature of the test is up to the sole discretion of the proctor, and any material benefits from the test accrue to her.
The proctor has the right to demand from the disputants the delivery of one unique item, the presentation of some obscure fact or the solution to some riddle or question. The first Kindred to deliver the object or information in question earns a legal judgment in her favor. If the matter is personal, the loser is expected to publicly apologize, admit that the winner is the better Dragon and bear no further grudge. In some domains, winners of lower rank than the loser are exempt from orders from the loser for terms ranging from a year and a day to perpetuity.
The proctor ideally bases the test on a fair judgment of the abilities of the disputants and a balanced view of the severity of the argument. For something petty, a proctor might simply declare that whoever first correctly completes a Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle is the winner. For a severe matter — or if the proctor is tired of the disputants and wants to get rid of them — she might issue an outrageous command, such as “Bring me the Spear of Destiny.”
Disputants can drop out of a test at any time, thereby forfeiting victory —which still may be preferable to the alternative if the test is something akin to “bring me a Lupine in Silver chains.” The issue is considered to be in abeyance as long as the test is ongoing, which means that a pair who are ordered to perform a foolish or all-but-impossible task may implicitly agree to forget the test and leave the issue undecided, rather than embark on a lengthy and dangerous quest. Some Dragons have actually found it advantageous to let their opponents win, if the quest is difficult enough — what may be accomplished in the months or years that a rival is off on her errand may outweigh the penalty of losing the test.
The Code Duello of the Sworn of the Axe
For the Oathbound of the Axe, trial by combat is an acceptable way to adjudicate differences, be they legal or simply questions of personal honor.One who is Sworn of the Axe may challenge another Oathbound (of whatever Oath) to a duel. By doing so, the Sworn becomes known as the challenger, reasonably enough. The person from whom satisfaction is demanded is called the minuend, for reasons that are obscure, largely forgotten and the subject of much tedious debate. (A minuend is defined as “the number from which another number is subtracted.”)
The minuend is given the choice of proceeding with the trial by combat, or, if she is Sworn to a different Oath, she may provide satisfaction through a debate (if she’s Sworn of the Mysteries) or an intellectual test (if she’s Sworn of the Dying Light).
It is also possible for someone who is unsworn to challenge one who is Sworn of the Axe to trial by combat. In that instance, the Sworn is the minuend and has no right to refuse and no right to order the unsworn challenger to withdraw.
Once both parties have agreed to trial by combat, they choose their seconds. These close friends of the combatants are expected to work together to ensure a fair contest and to bear witness of events as they occur.
The minuend is entitled to choose the type of weapon to be employed in the duel, which may be anything from sabers to bare hands, from pistols to crowbars (in the case of one celebrated duel in Houston in 1977). Seconds and principals customarily provide a selection of weapons of the appropriate type, at a time and location chosen by the challenger. The challenger must permit at least 24 hours to elapse between challenge and battle.
On duel day, there are traditionally four sets of weapons: one from each second, one from the minuend, one from the challenger. The minuend chooses which set of weapons is to be used, and the challenger picks which of those two weapons he will use. The minuend gets the remaining weapon.
Two witnesses (ideally neutral to the issue) and a mediator must be present at the duel, according to tradition. Often, mortals are brought as well — bound or drugged — to feed the duelists.
A duel is divided into passes. Starting at the agreedupon distance (historically 20 paces for pistols, five for close-quarters weapons), the principals clash when the mediator cries, “Begin!” They fight until one principal or the other has suffered a lethal wound. As soon as the mediator sights a suitable wound, he calls “Halt,” the pass ends immediately and the duelists part. A fighter who strikes between passes forfeits the duel, no matter the circumstance.
After each pass, both fighters can refresh and restore themselves if they have the means. Then the next pass begins. This process is repeated until one contestant has been suitably wounded three times — that contestant is the loser. Duelists may agree beforehand that the loser will endure a first-stage Vinculum to the winner, but deeper bonds than that are not sanctioned for duels by Order law. And, of course, no one Sworn of the Mysteries would agree to anything that might result in a Vinculum.
In some cases, the Code Duello is invoked upon someone who is believed to have been Sworn to the Axe falsely. If such a minuend is defeated in combat without leaving a single mark on her accuser, she can be stripped of her Oath. Otherwise, even if she loses, she has proven herself and remains Sworn.
Once a winner is declared, the feud is expected to end. Demonstrating continued animosity is considered disrespectful of the Order; in some domains, it’s considered insubordination. There is often substantial social pressure for duelists to put away their rivalries when a duel is completed, especially among the Sworn of the Axe — the Dragons have more important things to do than squabble amongst themselves. A feud cannot be tolerated for long among the deathless Dragons; eternity is too long to let rivalries ferment. Thus, duels are intended to signify the end of an ordeal, and the participants are expected to obey the symbolism of the affair.
The Lowly: Status 0 to •
Many Kindred enter The Ordo Dracul. There’s a great deal of variety among initiates, from neonates inducted out of custom into their sire’s covenant, to elders who abandon independence (or betray other beliefs) to pursue the Order’s esoteric enlightenment. Newcomers arrive with vastly different levels of personal ability and worldly experience, as well, but they all start at the bottom of the Order and work their way up, from the sternest elder to the most callow neonate.What This Status Means
The official title of a Dragon with no Coils is “Slave” and for many, that pretty much covers it. There are exceptions, however. A vampire with no dots in Covenant Status (Ordo Dracul) and no Coils, who has joined The Ordo Dracul, is a Slave. A Kindred who knows one or more tiers of Coils but has no Covenant Status within the Order is also a Slave, and a Slave she remains until she demonstrates her Coils and reveals which Dragon is teaching the Coils to vampires outside the covenant.Within the strict letter of Order law, anyone who knows even one Coil, or anyone who is Sworn, can give orders to a Slave. In practice, there’s slack. A Supplicant who has been undead for only a couple of years may hesitate to boss around a Nosferatu Slave who’s spent half a century honing her mystic powers and surviving the night. This is particularly true for Kindred old enough to know that vampires can’t be bullied like mortals can; the Beast doesn’t discriminate between a savage challenge and a fraternal hazing.
On the other hand, when that same Supplicant politely requests that a Nosferatu Slave harass one of her rivals in the chapter house, the Nosferatu had better have a good excuse if she refuses. A smart Supplicant not only states her request clearly and politely, but also includes in her instructions a clause that the Slave report to her any contradicting orders that would invalidate her command. This, in turn, is why smart Scholars often add boilerplate instructions to their written and verbal orders — instructions such as “tell no one of lower rank than me of this, and tell no one of higher rank unless they order you to do so.”
The goal of every Slave is to find a tutor. If that is not a Slave’s goal, one night it will be. What Kindred can tolerate an eternity of lowly servitude in a society that celebrates and encourages individual betterment and power as much as The Ordo Dracul does?
One dot in Covenant Status typically describes a Dragon who has found a tutor or made a positive impression on the local chapter of the Order as a collective. A character with Covenant Status • has a title appropriate to the level of Coils she has demonstrated. Note that this does not mean the level of Coils she knows, but the level of Coils she’s known to know — a finicky but important distinction.
It’s distressingly common for a Dragon to master a Coil but be unable to convince superiors of her competence. Quite often, this is because said superiors have some vested interest in keeping their underling at a low level. As soon as it’s useful for the tutor, or for the whole covenant, to have student get promoted, the “scheduling conflicts” or “subjective uncertainty of the test,” or whatever excuse was being leveled, rapidly evaporates.
In many — perhaps most — cases, however, superior Dragons feel no need to make excuses. A subordinate is promoted when her Mentor and her would-be peers agree she is ready to be promoted, and not before. Even if a Dragon has met all of the official criteria for promotion, she may have to wait. The Ordo Dracul is a fraternal, scholastic organization, and promotion follows respect.
It’s not unheard of for vampires to fake (mystically or otherwise) knowledge of Coils they do not actually possess and, thereby, gain Covenant Status higher than they have earned. Though it is possible to get away with such subterfuge, it is a strategy fraught with peril. A vampire who lies to The Ordo Dracul had better be a spy, for when she’s found out she will treated like one.
Duties and Expectations
Dragons of low Status are expected to devote their Requiems to the betterment of their superiors, full stop. They are permitted to pursue their own designs and agendas, but only to the extent that they do not conflict with the goals (or whims) of their superiors. (It may be helpful to think of a young child and her parent. The parent doesn’t care which particular toy the child plays with, as long as she plays quietly. But when bath time rolls around, any toy is going to be set aside, no matter how much the young one cries.)Low-status Dragons who want a predictable Requiem should try to attach themselves to a highly ranked master, because then they’ll be carrying out orders that have little chance of contradiction by someone even higher. But a powerful master is not an unalloyed good, because Dragons tend to gain authority by being strict, demanding and intolerant of failure. To become the tool of a master, you must be a masterwork tool.
On the other hand, if Reya Valorian is known to serve Blake Dumas, Philosopher of the Sanguine Terror, most within the Order aren’t going to try and countermand her. Those of a level lower than Philosopher know there’s no point if she’s acting on Blake’s orders, and those who could pull rank on her probably have their own pawns to employ and don’t care to show her their business (or piss her off for no good reason). Thus, even when she’s doing her own thing, Reya is unlikely to get capriciously bossed around, because people assume she’s doing Blake’s bidding.
Serving a lower-status master means you may get yanked off this mission or that by someone who pulls rank. On the other hand, lower-status masters are often more respectful with their vassals. At the very least, a Supplicant who has two Slaves working for her is going to be much less comfortable sending them into terrible danger than an Illuminus who has more underlings than she can readily count.
That said, there are low-status bosses who are terribly cruel to those lower still. This is most common in those who have been promoted recently or quickly, because they’re still smarting from their time as a humiliated dogsbody and are eager to salve the hurt by passing it on.
Pre-Mentor Slaves
The lowest-ranked Slaves are neonates who have petitioned to join the Order but have not yet found a tutor. If they have no personal rep, influence or other means to flyswat petty requests, they quickly fall into the role of “covenant errand boy.” Any Order grouping of significant size has at least several (often more) of these “punks” or “wannabees” attached, doing the chump chores that no one else wants to do. Being in this position requires a careful balancing act: clearly available neonates get inundated with requests, each more trivial (or repulsive) than the last. On the other hand, Slaves who make themselves scarce are hardly going to attract a Mentor.Mentored Slaves
A mentored Slave is one who has found a tutor willing to give her the knowledge she needs to shed her Slave Status — though “give” is perhaps a misnomer, s most tutors exact as high a price as they can get for their instruction. On the other hand, no tutor can force a Slave to study with her, which means that canny Slaves can incite bidding wars between rival Mentor candidates. (A desirable Slave has a better negotiating position, but even a rank neonate may incite a bidding war between Supplicants who are only a little better than their potential student.)It’s not uncommon for the tutors of Slaves to keep their students cloistered, or at least try to limit their exposure to other members of the Order. While the students may chafe (especially if they have friends or coterie- mates outside the covenant), this restriction is there to protect their studies. The less they’re exposed to other Dragons, the fewer bullshit errands they have to run.
Mentored Supplicants
In general, Supplicants have more breathing space than Slaves because they’ve pretty much “arrived.” They may get harassed or bossed around by their betters, but usually it’s either because of a personal beef, or because the superior genuinely wants the task performed. The casual abuse and petty demands that get thrown down on Slaves because they’re Slaves and that’s what you do — it goes away. The period of hazing ends with the promotion to Supplicant Status.A Supplicant with a Mentor is regarded as being on the fast track — it’s a sign that she wants to progress within the Order and gain power and authority over her fellow Dragons. The bond between tutor and student has hopefully matured by this point, so that they can work together efficiently. If there isn’t full trust, at least both parties feel they can predict the other’s behavior.
It’s ambitious, but not uncommon, for Supplicants with mentors themselves to become tutors to Slaves. This is perfectly kosher, though the Slaves who can’t get a better tutor tend to be the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel — getting them out of trouble is sometimes a bigger issue than getting use out of them.
Liberated Supplicants
Some Supplicants stop studying after they learn their first Coil. Maybe they find the Coils hard to learn and decide their efforts are better rewarded by other studies. Maybe they think they have a better chance of getting Sworn if they act for the benefit of the covenant, instead of holing up to study for their personal gain. Hell, maybe one Coil is all they want.Since they’re no longer Slaves, they are exempt from Order hazing, but without tutors to back them, they may quickly find themselves beset by demands from superiors who see an expendable and unprotected pawn. Relatively weak free-agent Supplicants (or, more to the point, those who seem weak) can get solitude if they want it: anyone who could order them around presumably can find a Slave who’s almost as good, easier to locate and more willing.
Those who joined The Ordo Dracul a little later in their Requiem are often in higher demand, simply because they’re more likely to be effective. Depending on their reputation, their superiors may find it worthwhile to dig them out of their holes and send them scurrying on a job. Kindred who’ve spent decades mastering theCoils instead of learning to fight often seem to take disproportionate pleasure from sending combative underlings to scrub down a tough enemy. Handling this poorly may result in said underling turning on her uppity master and seeing if she’s got a Coil that protects her from being torn to pieces by Feral Claws and Potence. But again, the smart superior takes the sting out of orders by behaving respectfully — or by offering some sort of reward as a token of esteem to her servant.
Benefits
There may not seem to be many benefits to being a Slave, but there are some. For one thing, although the Order tends to treat its lowliest members poorly, it also tends to close ranks when others abuse Slaves. As the Chicago Dragon Scratch explains it, “It’s like, that Slave is my freshman, rushing my frat. I get to fuck with her any time I want, but no one else does. You try and fuck with my frosh, you and I have a problem. Get me?” This unofficial rule is sometimes seen in a new light by local Dragons when they feel a fellow Dragon is mistreating a Slave, however. All Slaves will, presumably, become peers some night; they should be taught to be Dragons worthy of camaraderie and respect. Thus, Slaves are considered worthy of protection — even from other Dragons — at the same time that they are hardly considered worthy of respect.Interestingly, this protection erodes as Kindred climb the ladder. No one expects a Master to need the Order to swoop in and save her: presumably, she can just instruct less experienced Dragons to take care of her business. Supplicants may actually be in the lowest spot of Order protection. They’ve learned enough that they’re no longer considered fragile “property” that must be defended, but they aren’t regarded highly enough that other Dragons necessarily drop everything to come to their aid. Furthermore, unlike the errand-boy Slaves, higher-ranking Dragons sometimes just aren’t really aware of Supplicants.
Slaves are permitted to attend monthly Ordo Dracul meetings called “Caucuses,” the import of which varies from region to region. In some cities, a Dragon Caucus is little more than a social hour. In others, it’s a vital hotbed of political debate. Whichever, they’re closed to outsiders.
Another, less tangible benefit to Slave Status is that the Order is pretty easy to understand, once you grasp the hierarchy. From the outside, it’s complicated, but from the inside one can usually figure out who the boss is pretty quickly, just by listening to titles being recited. This means that a Slave is much less likely to accidentally antagonize someone with lots of covenant clout.
Finally, there’s access. There may be other covenants with as much collective mystic learning, but there are none with more. It goes beyond the Coils: the Order has, in its span, run across a lot of weird things, and, because they have a curriculum for studying it (unlike the Acolytes of many domains) and they don’t instantly interpret everything through a religious lens (like the Lancea Sanctum), they have an orderly and objective grasp of what much of it really means. Best of all, learning this stuff is expected, and practically demanded. Mentors gain prestige and influence through prominent students, so while they may make a show of forbidding certain studies, it’s sometimes just an act to keep the student grateful.
Goals
There are two goals expected of low-status Dragons: learn the Coils by getting a tutor, and swear an Oath. Learning Coils is the slow way to advance. Getting Sworn is the fast track, but is substantially more hazardous.Finding a tutor is a chore with many, many elements. Dragons who are skilled or have clout or anything else valuable to offer a potential instructor have an easy time finding one. Those who are poor and not trusted and weak are unlikely to get a teacher, and when they do it’s probably someone who’s only a little better off. Teaching the Coils is an investment of time and energy, and every tutor expects a good return on that sweat equity. Otherwise, what’s the point?
The Paths of Fate often (but not always) influence potential tutors. Someone who is otherwise unattractive but who has a good fate — it may earn her a second chance, though probably not automatic acceptance unless the tutor is a real zealot. Similarly, a desirable student with an unattractive destiny may not get rejected outright, but if accepted is likely to be watched closely.
In the same vein, the Paths can (but don’t necessarily) contribute to receiving Oaths. If they are a factor, they’re less of a factor than the candidate’s actual completion of the prerequisites, which are as follows:
To take the Oath of the Axe, one must possess “utmost martial prowess” and have risked destruction to protect the Order, its members or its secrets. There’s clearly some vagueness in the wording there — “utmost martial prowess” is really in the eye of the beholder, and some domains leave it to the judgment of Axe-bearers while others have concrete tests (such as dropping the candidate in a pit with three or more hatchet-wielding mortal blood addicts). Furthermore, who is to really say that this Kindred has risked destruction while that Kindred has not? Clearly anyone who took a beating into Torpor qualifies on the risk front, but can one get in without getting hurt? It should be possible, but unless reliable witnesses were present, who’s to say? Also, somebody who saves one Dragon at personal risk — is she qualified to join? Some domains say yes, some no, some judge case by case.
Getting Sworn of the Dying Light and becoming a combination judge/researcher is attractive to many neonates. Typically the Dying Light has contained the best tutors. It’s in the interests of each Oath to have as many high-ranked members as possible — the Dying Light’s tutors give it an edge on promotions. On the other hand, gaining admission is tough. To get into the Axe, you just need to nearly die and be a badass. To get into the Dying Light, you must get some magical thing for the Order that it lacks — and decades of researchers, spies and library thieves have made that an increasingly tough nut to crack. Conquering a new Wyrm’s Nest is often seen as the easiest route into the Dying Light, which should tell you how complete the Order’s overall library is. (Grumbling neonates imply that some in the Dying Light simply suck up the fruits of new Research, tell the outsider, “Yep, already knew that,” and then present it as their own work to their comrades.)
Finally, there are the Sworn of the Mysteries, who make the laws for the whole covenant. Getting in requires elder sponsors, which doesn’t sound so very tough, except that any member — even those bitch-ass Slaves who get sent to the store and have to clean out the boss’ Lexus every week — can black-ball a candidate. The Rites of the Dragon doesn’t specify whether these vetoes are anonymous or public. Public vetoes from low-status members are rare, because the candidate deferred may seek retaliation afterwards. If private vetoes are permitted, however, they drastically change the social dynamic, as any vampire who might want to get into the Mysteries one day is trying to be nice to everyone.
Opportunities
The opportunities for low-status Dragons are understandably slight, but they exist. Beyond learning Coils, getting Sworn and having some access to the Order’s archives, there are opportunities of a more mundane nature.Some within the Order devote their time to study, almost to the exclusion of everything else. Such devoted students tend to climb the ladder rapidly by mastering more Coils. When unsworn, they’re the leaders of the unsworn. Once they get an Oath — look out. But lacking the time and attention for mundane details, they do what every smart executive does: they delegate. A canny and competent majordomo (particularly one whose Fate is something like Fortitude or Temperance or The Star) can be entrusted to manage her boss’ estate, her herds, even her portfolio. Skimming from someone who’s distracted by occult study has its risks, but the rewards are real. Such a position is ideal for someone who has learned all the Coils she wants but needs a high-status master to deflect requests from other Dragons. As a manager, she has a lot of autonomy to deal with piddly details so that the scholar isn’t bothered, which means she has autonomy to pursue her own goals as well. Such an underling dreams of the day she gets a vague order like “Just take care of it.”
Academics are always particularly prized within the Order, and the position of “Research assistant” can provide the same freedom as “manager” — except that a researcher is skimming knowledge, rather than money or blood or influence. There are dangers to unguided mystical Research, of course, but skipping ahead in one’s studies can provide a path to the Oath of the Dying Light. For geniuses.
The Majority: Status •• or •••
Most members of The Ordo Dracul fall in the middle territory. They’re high enough that they’re listened to with respect, they have clout appropriate to their responsibilities, and they have generally left the “infant” stage in which they need guidance. They’re in an undead adolescence in which they determine their own fates. By and large, this majority has authority for most day-to-day operations for the Order. To really set policy or control the Dragons within a city, however, one needs more.What This Status Means
Covenant Status •• indicates someone who is unsworn, and who holds the ranks of Scribe through Master (that is, someone who knows between two and six dots of Coils). That’s a pretty wide stretch: a Status •• Scribe is someone who is well known, respected, liked, maybe even trusted. A Status •• Master is someone who’s burned a lot of bridges and pissed on a lot of birthday cakes. Furthermore, as with all levels within the Order, the tiers of Coils you know matter less than the tiers you’ve demonstrated to someone’s satisfaction. A Status 2 Initiate may be someone who knows two Coils and put on a good show faking two more.Covenant Status ••• is appropriate for someone who is Sworn and who knows no Coils. (This happens more often than one might initially think, especially during wartime when the ability to master the inner Beast matters less than the ability to tear somebody a new one protecting the bosses.)
Covenant Status ••• is also appropriate for an unsworn Dragon who is an Adept, Master or Philosopher — that is, knows five to seven dots of The Coils of the Dragon. It’s hard to attain the rank of Philosopher without being Sworn, however. Learning that many tiers of Coils is difficult for someone who’s deeply unpopular, but, by Master stage, an ambitious Dragon may be able to get plenty of younger Dragons to support her political ambitions in exchange for instruction. This means that many unsworn Dragons of Covenant Status ••• remain that way because they’re brilliant but untrustworthy — usually due to demonstrable failures or forbidden actions, not just because the vampires have a Devil or Five of Cups card associated with them — or because they do not want an Oath and the responsibilities thereof.
Lying, Cheating, and Stealing
The Coils are a series of internal practices that ease the constraints of the Kindred curse. Most of them are highly subjective: a student can certainly feel it when she gains control of her Beast or can take greater advantage of blood. Is she really using a Coil? Or has she got some other trick up her sleeve that lets her cheat undeath a different way? Is it, in fact, possible to cheat on the test of how well one cheats Damnation?In a word, yes. The Order contains many who have passed tests despite imperfect mastery of a Coil, or even downright ignorance. Many instructors try to weed out the cheaters with oral examinations that test knowledge of underlying philosophy and theory, but rote memorization (or mind reading or writing the answers on your sleeve) can get around quizzes. In the end, the watching judge usually calls it on gut instinct. The exceptions are few — and scary. Rumors persist that the Dragons have mystic abilities that allow them to scrutinize other vampires, discern their mystic abilities and, with the covenant’s catalogs of lore to reference, even understand a Kindred’s supernatural powers better than she understands them herself.
Players who wish to purchase higher Covenant Status without the concomitant Coils can spend the experience points to do so once they’ve played through some fraudulent demonstrations. Some suggestions follow.
Blood
The second Coil of Blood is rarely tested because blood potency is hard to judge. Sure, there are elders who join the covenant and clearly can’t use animal blood until they’ve studied, but for someone who’s been dead less than a hundred years and doesn’t have Diablerie streaks, the instructors are just going to have to take it on faith. As for the first and third Coils, the easiest cheat is the Theban Sorcery ritual Vitae Reliquary. Learning Theban Sorcery is probably more work than just getting the Coils formally, but any vampire can drink from a reliquary, even those who don’t know how to make one. Hiding it is a problem, but hardly an insurmountable one with something like the powers of Obfuscate to draw on. The bigger issue is dealing with The Lancea Sanctum, either as an apostate who’s jumped ship for The Ordo Dracul, or as a Dragon who trusted one of the Sanctified enough to get help cheating on a critical test.Banes
This Coil is a little trickier to fake. The first tier, sure — how can anyone tell if courage comes from an occult trick or from raw gumption? Same for the second tier, though a moral vampire with enough Humanity to last the full day is a rare creature. The third tier is probably a write-off — even Kindred with plenty of Resilience would show the effects of lethal damage. The Iron Façade Devotion could do it, but that’s a secret more rare and more protected than the third Coil in some domains — even then knowledge of that Devotion is hardly common.Beast
This Coil primarily bolsters inner strength to help the Kindred resist her darker instincts. Some Kindred simply have sufficient inner strength to demonstrate this mastery even without the Coils. To some extent, the Dragon who attempts to fake a mastery of this power is serving her own Beast despite herself. In theory, a vampire with the inner strength necessary to maintain some control of his Beast also has the capacity to become a genuine master of the Coil. Choosing to fake that self-control — or choosing to struggle with it every night in place of learning the Coil — begs a question about the Kindred’s true attitudes. Does she not want control over her Beast?Duties and Expectations
If the high-status Dragons are The Ordo Dracul’s head, and the Slaves and Supplicants are its feet of clay, the hefty mid-rank is its strong and healthy torso, the vital organs and bulk that keep it going. Solicited for input on decisions they aren’t empowered to make, the midrange are expected to take the vague orders of their masters and refine them into foolproof concrete measures fit for underlings and others in the middle tiers.For example, suppose a chapter is being muscled out of prime territory by local Carthians. The Covenant Status •••• and ••••• leadership (probably from the Axe if the action’s been violent, maybe from the Mysteries if it’s all been threats and politics) decide the broad strategies for pushing back. A mid-Status Dragon (Sworn or not) may be pointed at a particular Carthian authority or a specific coterie with orders to “take care of her” (or them). Whether that means kidnapping her mortal family or blackmailing the coterie or bankrupting them, killing their Herd so that they have to hunt or go hungry — or plainly destroying them — that’s up to the person getting the order. There’s a lot more slack and vagueness for Status ••• and •••• Dragons: they’ve shown that they can handle themselves, so they’re given more freedom.
If the commands issued lack the legalistic detail that chucklehead Slaves and Supplicants expect, that’s because there’s an unspoken expectation that an Adept or Scribe (or higher) isn’t going to mess around. By Covenant Status •••, Kindred are expected to understand the spirit of their orders. Following the letter and not the meaning can be a fine way to screw with a superior, and it may even hold up in a Dragon Court, but unless it really cuts that Illuminus or Philosopher down to size, the repercussions of such smart-ass behavior can be severe. The defied superior may issue some form of challenge to one of the Sworn, or he may start issuing ironclad orders calculated to make the uppity underling’s Requiem an unliving hell.
Wyrm's Nests
This is the lowest-level Status at which a Dragon may take custody of a Wyrm’s Nest, though this is uncommon. Typically those at this level who monitor, inhabit or preside over such a site are those who discovered, uncovered or conquered it themselves. The most minor sites are entrusted to the mid-range Dragons. More powerful sites are held by those of greater authority and learning, while the most potent (and dangerous) Wyrm’s Nests are overseen by large groups of Dragons, often consisting of one coterie that does nothing but control and investigate the site while three or four others provide protection, Research and backup as needed.The most common Wyrm’s Nests are thought to be haunted houses (or haunted stretches of road, haunted playgrounds or other areas blighted by the attentions of the restless dead). The more arrogant Dragons find little of interest with “mere” ghosts, but it should be noted that the Sworn Architects and Philosophers tend to be humbler in their approach. As described in the World of Darkness Rulebook, ghosts are intangible personalities who can’t, or won’t, move on from the mortal world. While rituals exist to wring the spiritual essence out of a ghost, or to trap it inside an object, The Ordo Dracul generally steers clear of such brute tactics. In their opinion, destroying a ghost for a one-time gain is like chopping down a tree to get the fruit. The studies of the Order are focused inward, on transformation — rituals to bind or compel ghosts are as likely to be found among the Sanctified and the Acolytes. Yet The Ordo Dracul is the covenant with the most traffic with the restless dead, at least in many domains, which just might prove which tactics ultimately work best. Instead of demands or attacks, many Dragons approach ghosts with reason and politics. Ghosts have needs they can’t meet themselves, and have powers that Kindred lack. Canny members of the Order start from there and press forward, forming equitable deals or mystic contracts with the dead.
The first stage of exploiting a haunted Wyrm’s Nest is to determine whose ghost is there, how sentient it is and what it wants. If it’s obsessed with the site and wants to keep its home intact, then the Order Kindred are in clover: they have to make contact, buy the place, maybe get it on the registry of historic sites and get the ghost to agree to frighten away any mortals who poke around while the Kindred are sleeping in the restored basement. The ghost gets immortal guardians for its home, and the Kindred get an immortal Guardian for their Haven. Everybody wins.
Other situations are more complex, and other Dragon Kindred are more aggressive in their dealings. Some might (for example) find a ghost who is concerned with her children, and then blackmail her into doing their daytime dirty work by alternately benefiting and threatening the kids. Hey, no one wants to watch her daughter die of old age, right? Becoming a ghoul can cure that, and then the vampire has a devoted servant who is also an anchor for a protective spirit. This works just fine until the ghost figures out how addictive vampire blood is. Then the situation can turn a bit more dramatic.
Haunted objects are beyond the strict purview of The Ordo Dracul, but the Order eagerly seeks them all the same. Sometimes a ghost has an object and a location as separate anchors. Finding a ghost’s anchor-item can build trust between the dead soul and the undead Dragons. The ghost, in turn, might lead the Kindred to a Wyrm’s Nest. Plus, a ghost with a portable object as an anchor can have her range of existence altered by moving the anchor; Dragons might agree to help a ghost reach a distant locale, or they might bring a ghost’s anchor back to the local chapter house so that the ghost can be interrogated or consulted by mediums.
All this assumes that the Kindred can, in fact, communicate with the ghost enough to wheedle, threaten, posture, expound and use all the other tools of persuasion by mouth. One vampiric tool for ghost communication is Auspex. Kindred in a state of Twilight can converse with ghosts in Twilight, and vampires with Telepathy may be able to receive messages from the dead more easily. But even the lower-level powers of Auspex help: viewing the past of an object (especially an anchor) can provide clues to a spirit’s motivations and history, while Aura Sight makes a ghost’s nimbus perceptible even when they ghost itself is unseen, and Heightened Senses can help pick out ghostly whispers from TV static or catch a fleeting, altered image in the frame of an 8 mm movie. All this is possible without even counting the unsought visions with which the Sighted are blessed or cursed.
Without a Mekhet or other Auspex user, the task of negotiating with the dead comes down to hard work and cleverness, like anything else. Séances, ouija boards, consultations with mediums, high-tech gadgets to seek out cold spots and magnetic disturbances — Dragons have tried all these and more. Sometimes, Dragons even go to mortals and mages with reputations as ghost-hunters. In a few domains, such experts have even been brought into the fold as “associate members in the Order of the Dragon,” thinking that the society is an oldfashioned gentleman’s spiritualists club. These living members teeter on the edge of the Masquerade — the night they learn, discern or piece together too many shreds of truth about their fellow club-members, they become an intolerable threat to the Order.
More than one Dragon has been in Embraced in such a situation.
Hosting
Tradition dictates that the highest-ranked unsworn is given the title convener and is tasked with coordinating or hosting monthly meetings of the Order. Held, customarily, on nights of the new moon, these meetings are known as Caucuses. Often they are held at an Elysium that has been closed for the night to all but the Order, but some Caucuses are outside Elysium and, therefore, beyond its guarantee of nonviolence.Caucuses vary greatly from domain to domain. In places where the Convener is scatter-brained or simply doesn’t care much for her job, the meetings are informally held at rented halls or theaters. A casual Caucus has no roll call, Kindred are expected to show up or not according to whim, and security is fairly lax. Attendees see to formalities like recognizing new Oathbound, granting new titles or making public legal or duel-related announcements. Little of true import is discussed in such a loose atmosphere, however.
A Convener who cares about the job hosts Caucuses with tight security, sensitive Kindred (or others) present to ensure that no Obfuscated outsiders pry into Order secrets and plenty of decoration, pomp and ceremony to make sure that the Dragons take the meeting seriously. Roll calls are taken, oaths administered, tests or passwords used to ensure that each attendee really is who he claims to be.
The nature of a domain’s Convener often changes the flavor of local politics. Sloppy Caucuses lead to backroom oligarchies because there isn’t a secure or dignified forum to solicit the input of the junior members. With a strict Caucus, Order policy is much more likely to be publicly debated among all ranks, though of courseit’s the Sworn with the high titles who ultimately decide matters. This means that conveners are often targets of removal schemes — either by factions that want greater openness (and therefore a more uptight convener)or those who prefer to keep their dealings hidden (and want ill-disciplined meetings as an excuse for their secrecy). Assassinating a Convener isn’t beyond the pale, but the more common scheme is to try to get her Sworn — with or without her cooperation. This is simpler than trying to take down someone who’s probably pretty tough and experienced, especially if she’s actively seeking an Oath.
On the other hand, conveners often get stuck as highranked unsworn for a reason — even if that reason is no better than “once she gets Sworn, she’s going to jump to the front of the established power structure.” Perhaps assassination is the easiest course after all.
Benefits
Mystic Research is far more open to those with sufficient Status. While the Slaves and Supplicants get introductory Materials and access to Order documents that the Circle and the Lancea have already pirated, those of higher Status belong to a wider Research network and can access more sensitive Materials. Really hot stuff like cutting edge Wyrm’s Nest theory, or texts on how to summon “angels and demons” or books on Theban Sorcery that The Lancea Sanctum doesn’t know the Order has copied — those sorts of items are still off limits.Between the open (texts like Rites of the Dragon or The Testament of Longinus) and the deeply secret (something blasphemously powerful like C.M. Barrie’s Conversations with the Injury) there is a middle ground of potent texts that are available to Scribes or low-level Sworn when they have a demonstrable need for them. For example:
- Alfonso Zanos’ necromantic text Ghost Homes can be lent to those who have need of guidance with restless spirits.
- Dîb Armili, an anonymous and fragmentary text on Lupines and their beliefs, may be shown to those unfortunates who need its counsel. Copying is not allowed, and it’s never permitted outside of a library or archive, since it seems prudent to keep it secret from the creatures that are its subject.
- Some Brief Observations on the Contests of Nature Spirits is, sadly, now possessed only in an English translation that is believed to lack much of the nuance of Mme. Dupain’s original text. Nevertheless, it provides some flickers of insight for those who must deal with spirits that never lived, especially in their own domains.
Goals
Unsworn Dragons in the mid-range want to get an Oath, of course, and often it’s easier than when they’re low-status peons. Often, but not always: with enough time in the covenant, they’ve had time to make enemies as well as friends. With the Axe and the Dying Light, that’s not as much of an issue, but it pays to consider any Kindred foes at one’s back when trying to assault a Wyrm’s Nest or defend the Order at great personal risk.It’s not uncommon for Dragons at this level to change tutors, as well. A student who has learned all a given teacher has to offer, or who has simply been promoted as high as that instructor is capable, often leaves to find someone with greater knowledge. It’s the same damn thing as finding the first tutor, except that the instructor (being wiser) probably has higher standards (or something really wrong with her). But it cuts both ways, since the student is probably a better agent, gofer and assistant to the master.
This is also the point in a Requiem when a Dragon can reach out to those outside the covenant with a bit more assurance that the Order has her back. Many Kindred who have mid-level Status within the Order have higher Status in their city or clan. This can be a comfortable level to settle at within the covenant, and making oneself useful as “the guy with The Invictus connections” or “the vampire who can put together a Nosferatu wrecking crew” is a niche that can get a Dragon respect from those who have focused their energies solely on covenant politics.
While possession of a Nest at this level is rare, that doesn’t mean the desire for one is. Indeed, ousting the other (non-Dragon) tenants of a Nest is frequently a way to rise in Status — as long as the Nest remains intact under new ownership. Gaining a haunted house at the cost of exorcising the ghost inside it is a zero-sum game, if it’s not regarded as an actual failure.
Opportunities
In addition to advanced study, one prime opportunity at this stage is the chance to command. Any Oathbound can give orders to anyone who is unsworn. That penniless Nosferatu bruiser who got the Oath of the Axe with no Coils can go to an unsworn Master and say, “I need you to help me become rich.” Without a good lawyerly argument (or a Sworn backer) that Master’s officially appropriate response is “Very well.” The major traditional exception to this rule involves instruction: no one in the Order can force another Dragon to accept her as student, nor as teacher. Outside education, though, it’s pretty open. In theory, however, a Dragon can also decline such orders with the approval of a third, even higher-ranking Dragon. And in practice, Dragons skirt and avoid each other’s orders with some regularity when other, more pressing problems would go unmanaged as a result.From this side of the rank divide, however, things look different. Being a harsh taskmaster and governing underlings by fear has its appeal — and indeed, some in the Order make that work just fine. But the iron-fist approach works best for tasks that don’t require finesse, judgment or commitment. Being a martinet works fine for micromanaging a pack of bullies to help become the power behind a mortal gang boss, but blustering and threatening and shouting, “I know you know kung fu; teach me all of it!” almost never gets an instructor’s best efforts.
Furthermore, while having underlings to take care of petty stuff works fine when it’s properly managed, trusting a Kindred of lesser experience with important or risky tasks is always attended by the possibility of failure. Maybe they fail through no fault of their own, but subordinates are subordinate for a reason. The more a Commander equips and prepares them for their task, the less likely a humiliating failure occurs — but at some point it may be easier to just take care of it personally. The old saying is, “if you want a thing done right, do it yourself.” Failing that, delegate wisely.
The Commanders: Status •••• to •••••
After the nights of study, the icy political infighting, the humiliating Slave state and the interminable apprenticeship, a Dragon can, at last, rise to the heights. With enough study or effort or sheer, mad, balls-out courage, Kindred within the Order can become one of the elite, one of the chosen few who steer the covenant in its domain, in its Nests and beyond.What this Status Means
No unsworn Dragon has Covenant Status ••••, nor does anyone ignorant of the Coils. Oathbound with the titles from Supplicant through Initiate (one to four tiers of Coils) are likely to reach Covenant Status ••••, along with those somewhat higher who are despised or mistrusted for some reason. Covenant Status ••••• is appropriate for Oathbound with five or more levels in the Coils — that is, Adepts and above.Duties and Expectations
The elite of the Dragon’s Tongue are expected to perform those duties appropriate to their Oath, plain and simple. Within their political domain, each Oath is supposedly pre-eminent. But of course, gray areas abound.The Sworn of the Axe defend the covenant. They provide the cold, murderous bodies who stand between the Order and the police, the FBI, the CDC, the other covenants, mortal warlocks, shapeshifters, ghosts whose anchors have been disturbed (or stolen) and the wrathful relatives of slain mortals.
While, in theory, all Kindred with the Axe Oath are expected to defend any Dragon, there are limits. No one is permitted to be sloppy with the Masquerade and get unlimited cleaning from the Axe — though it must be said that the higher one’s Status, the more tolerant the Axe-Sworn are of tidying any unfortunate business. On the other hand, dumb feeders rarely achieve high Status.
Calls for defense by Dragons who can’t defend themselves can lead to turf battles between the Axe and the Dying Light. If an Axe-bearer accuses another Dragon of frivolously invoking the Axe’s protection, it’s a court matter. Typically the Axe makes a challenge, but not every Dragon is open to a martial challenge and if it goes to a Juris Draconis, the Dying Light are necessarily involved. This can turn very ugly if the accused carries that Oath, whether the jury finds for or against her.
Similarly, the Axe sometimes conflicts with the Mysteries over leadership roles. The Axe is supposed to run the show during emergencies, while the Mysteries legislate at all other times. But who decides when disaster is imminent? In areas where the Mysteries Dominate, they often pass laws that only they can decide when to put the Axe in charge. In other areas where the Axe is larger — typically more dangerous areas, of course — the Axe may have the ability to declare martial law, suspend any Mystery decrees and take any steps necessary to “deal with the crisis.” At least one Ordo city in Ecuador has been under “crisis conditions” for 110 years — the length of the reign of its Axe-Sworn Prince.
The Sworn of the Dying Light are never supposed to set the agenda for The Ordo Dracul. Their duties are mystic Research and resolving disputes. But again, there are areas of ambiguity. Suppose Dying Light researchers locate a Wyrm’s Nest that’s infested with some sort of malevolent supernatural beasts? A case can be made that, as Wyrm’s Nests are part and parcel of “occult Research,” the Dying Light should be able to order the Axe to charge in and clear out the monsters so that the researchers can then move in and set up shop. If the Axe argues against this reasoning, just who’s going to necessarily be involved with deciding who’s in the right? Why, the Oathbound of the Dying Light, taking off their lab coats and changing into their judges’ robes.
Depending on politics and power balance, such conflicts can work out in a variety of ways. The Dying Light may be dominant (or may form a coalition of oppression with the Mysteries) and force the Axe to win the prize, which the Dying Light then enjoys. Or they might try to seize the Nest themselves, only going to the Axe when rebuffed (and therefore offering the site to the Axe-bearers as “first pick of victims, lands and the rewards of honor”). Or they might cooperate with the Axe, each applying their strengths to acquiring the site and exploiting its benefits. Hey, it happens.
Finally, there’s the Oath of the Mysteries, the legislative branch of The Ordo Dracul. They make the laws and decide policy, but there’s a catch: it’s plainly stated in Rites of the Dragon that they make law for The Ordo Dracul, “though not for any member within it.” Individuals with the Mystery Oath can challenge other Oathbound, they can slap the unsworn into a Juris Draconis, but the collective of the Mysteries cannot take any action against a lone Dragon. Remarkably, many Ordo Dracul chapters are agreed in the belief that the Sworn of the Mysteries can pass laws concerning individuals outside the covenant. So if the locals want to pass a law saying The Unholy is anathema and should be destroyed if she shows her face, that’s binding and local Dragons are expected to observe it. Meanwhile, doing the same thing to anyone in the Order, even a lowly Slave, is off limits.
It is tradition for the highest-ranked Oathbound of each chapter to initiate every vote by commanding the Sworn of the Mysteries to “vote your conscience” or “vote as you think is best for The Ordo Dracul.” Some domains simply have this supreme Dragon issue that command in perpetuity to each Mystery-bound as she is formally recognized at Caucus. In this fashion, “do what you believe is best” becomes an enduring order.
While they are restricted from detail work, they have tremendous power when it comes to broad-brush strokes. The Sworn of the Mysteries can (and have) passed laws exiling members of bloodlines, or even entire clans, from the Order in certain cities. Of course, it must be said that Dragon chapters that go so far as to ban a clan usually weaken themselves against less bigoted covenants. They can declare that no one who’s ever been in The Lancea Sanctum can join, and they can make that law retroactive in order to kick out all the former Sanctified. Again, this is rare, because a mass excommunication of that sort practically guarantees Coil leakage, which puts the Order in the position of going to war, when its numbers are depleted, against its own former members. As long as it’s not a state of open warfare (when the Axe assumes leadership), the Sworn of the Mysteries decide the Order’s stance towards clans, other covenants and any other power structure the Dragons encounter.
Benefits
One benefit is another increase in access. Dragons with high Covenant Status are finally permitted to learn about the existence of secret Coils and, possibly, new tiers for well-known Coils. With appropriate finagling, a Dragon of newly increased Covenant Status can even learn such Coils within her first few nights of her new station.The quickest way to get the most advanced knowledge is to be Sworn of the Dying Light. While the highlevel tiers and other benefits are supposed to be available equally to all the Oathbound, in practice it’s the Dying Light who get there first. It’s not all a matter of politics, either: in many cases, the Oath of the DyingLight appealed to the people who were most passionately interested in occult learning. Therefore, they’rethe ones with the background necessary to quickly grasp the obscure philosophies involved with new or advanced Coils. Mystic researchers tend to learn mystic material quicker, for the same reason that plumbers rarely have leaky faucets.
At this level, the Oaths tend to subdivide a bit with their rewards and perquisites. The Axe are, in the most obvious ways, the cream of the crop. It’s right there in Rites of the Dragon that they get “first pick of victims, lands and the rewards of honor.” In conflicts over who takes possession of a given Wyrm’s Nest, or who has feeding rights at a prime rack or who gets appointed ambassador to The Circle of the Crone, the Sworn of the Axe are often quick to invoke that passage of the Rites. While t may be the Dying Light who judge which claimant takes precedence, or it may be the Mysteries deciding who’s qualified for an appointment, the “first pick” rule often swings a big stick.
A “benefit” to being in the Dying Light rarely comes into play, but sometimes a Dragon is found guilty of subjugating her soul to an angel, demon or other entity. Inthose cases, the penalty is annihilation through Diablerie, and that dire (but-oh-so tempting) sentence is universally carried out by the Sworn of the Dying Light.
In the same spirit, a rarely invoked but very real benefit to being Sworn of the Mysteries is that one has a perfect legal excuse to refuse a Vinculum. If it’s from someone outside the Order, the Dragons almost certainly close ranks to protect one of their legislators from the blood’s false ardor. If someone inside the Order attempts to place The Vinculum, any Juris Draconis is likely to find in favor of the Mystery-Sworn. (Though there have been cases where Dragon Juries found in favor of the binder, essentially sentencing the Oathbound to death.)
Goals
At this level of Status, most Dragons’ desires change. It’s rare to get this high in the Order without a strong desire to gain power and prestige. But from the top, where does an ambitious, powerful and lauded vampire go next?Typically their goals change from personal advancement to covenant advancement. This doesn’t mean high-level Dragons suddenly become infused with community spirit. It means that vampires powerful enough to run a covenant naturally want that covenant to be the most powerful around.
Sworn of the Axe generally have military ambitions, because those who like axes want every problem to be a tree. They tend to try to amass greater military power for The Ordo Dracul, preferably at the expense of other covenants, and — when they feel strong enough — they try to provoke some kind of physical conflict.
This game of provocation and reprisal is actually pretty tough to manage. Kindred with the potential to survive indefinitely are notoriously averse to risking their skins. Plus there’s the Masquerade to consider: any covenant that breaches it as a group probably unites the others against it. This does, however, mean that the crazier covenant can often bluff the others with the implied threat of a Masquerade rupture. Like playing chicken on the highway, The Invictus (for example) may be pretty sure that The Ordo Dracul isn’t going to risk a bloodbath that would get loads of mortal attention. But that’s the kind of thing every vampire wants to be very sure about.
Constant saber-rattling may convince itchy outsiders that the Ordo is eventually going to break the First Tradition, and that in turn may result in a “pre-emptive strike” — which is, of course, exactly what the Sworn of the Axe wants, because they become the authorities during wartime and because fierce battles give them an opportunity to swell their numbers and gain a greater proportion of influence within the covenant. This is why many with the other Oaths frequently shy away from placing Axe-Sworn into ambassador positions — even though this, in turn, clashes with the Axe’s claim of first pick of honored titles.
The Sworn of the Dying Light tend to seek power for the Order in a different way. Rather than crush other Kindred covenants until the Order is greatest, they seek occult power and revelation. Their goal is often to exalt the Kindred of the Order until other covenants are simply irrelevant. In this they are most true to the transcendent goals described in Rites of the Dragon. The problem is, few Kindred, if any, have actually achieved that transformation.
Their quest for forbidden knowledge is most likely to bring the Dying Light into conflict with the Lancea or the Circle (among Kindred) or with other supernatural creatures and forces. They are often the Oath least likely to have mortal trouble, because their focus is so far beyond typical mortal concerns and authorities. Their desire to understand cursed places and haunted objects keeps them out of the path of mortal politicians, cops and power-brokers who would just as soon stay away from eerie sites so that they can make money, get votes or keep the peace.
As for the Sworn of the Mysteries, they’re in the bloodiest thick of Kindred politics, seeking to acquire through guile and negotiation what the Axe would seize by force. No few Mystery-Sworn see themselves as the masters of the Order, and regard their rise through its ranks as training for conflict with political covenants like The Invictus and The Carthian Movement. Just as a pro-baller has to make a name for herself on high school and college teams before she gets drafted, so must a Dragon prove herself in conflicts within the Order before she has the skill to battle on its behalf.
Opportunities
Listing opportunities for the leaders of an entire covenant doesn’t take much space — not because the opportunities are limited, but because they are so expansive. From the top of The Ordo Dracul, the challenges faced are primarily external. Anything within the reach of the Order is within the reach of its leaders.Many leaders try to immediately line their pockets (or ensconce themselves against attack or expand theirmystical prowess) but strangely, those who seek only personal improvement often wind up stymied. True, the advanced Daeva who persuades underling Nosferatu and Gangrel to teach her Protean and Nightmare is going to become personally terrifying in combat, but is unlikely to rise higher in the Sworn of the Axe than an Oathmate who puts an equal degree of effort into investigating the weaknesses of rival covenants.
The truly powerful Dragons are the influential ones. That is, the Sworn Philosopher who simply takes a rich, unsworn Master under her wing is unlikely to suffer the pangs of poverty. Why would a Dying Light Illuminus who has focused on occult learning suddenly switch to learning martial skills and Disciplines when she can, instead, simply smile at an Axe-Sworn Daeva Initiate and say, “I seek a security coordinator”? Instead of personally managing wealth or warfare, the wise Commander delegates those tasks to someone who already has everything she needs for them. This frees up the Commander to concentrate on her own personal strengths — or on her personal transcendence, the one Order goal that cannot be delegated.
The drawback of relying on others is that Kindred are notoriously unreliable — unless they’re defending their selfish, personal interests. An Architect or Immortal, however, can find plenty of ways to appeal to the selfishness of an underling. Becoming a tutor is one obvious way — indeed, a way that can often be further delegated. Similarly, promises to exert influence on court cases, or to propose the underling as Guardian or to help the subordinate become Sworn — all these can buy loyal actions from someone who’s completely self-interested. Finally, those who’ve attained the dizzying heights of Illuminus or Visioner shouldn’t underestimate the power they have to offer lower ranks freedom. There is a world of difference between a Master who is making money for herself, and a Master who is making money for herself on the orders of a Visioner. The biggest difference, of course, is that in the second instance few can order her to stop and do something different.
Wise leaders of the Dragons become the font of freedom for their underlings. In the straitened hierarchy of The Ordo Dracul, freedom is a precious commodity.
If you follow then, you'll be the same.
Nothing will change. You'll see why immortality is hell as you work for the same thing every night.
Come with us and you'll see that everything can change.
They'll endure but we'll flourish.”
— Marjorie Walker, Invisible Master of Questing and Pain
Promotion
In an organization as rank-conscious as The Ordo Dracul, one critical question must be: how does one gain rank? There are procedures in place for gettingSworn, as laid down in Rites of the Dragon. But other than the prime division of Oathbound and unsworn, it all comes down to rank, which in turn comes down to recognized knowledge of the Coils.The key question, then, is, who has the authority to recognize knowledge of the Coils?
For the first three ranks, the answer is “anyone two or more ranks higher than the student.” That is, a Scholar can promote a Slave, and an Adept can promote anyone from Scholar on down. There’s a formal investiture ceremony at the next Caucus, and the new Dragon’s Status spreads from there, largely by word-of-mouth.
At that low level, there’s no way to promote someone else to one’s own rank, and that holds for ranks 4–6 — Initiate through Master — as well. There, a Dragon must be promoted by a vampire at least two ranks higher, but with an additional restriction: a student cannot be promoted by her own tutor.
The highest ranks, Philosopher through Architect, do permit promotions to equal rank, simply because there is often no other way for such promotions to occur. A lone Architect can promote a Philosopher to an Illuminus, but it takes two Illumini to promote that same Philosopher, and it takes two Architects to permit an Illuminus to join their number. Often times, promotion to the highest level requires travel, either of the testtaker or its giver. Considering the Kindred’s reluctance to leave home, big favors often get exchanged just to make an examination possible.
Hungarian Marriage
It has not escaped the notice of canny Dragons that two Kindred with the third Coil of Blood can feed off one another indefinitely. It seems to be a sort of closed cycle, in which neither need ever feed from a mortal again.This is true. Two practitioners of Perspicacious Blood can, in fact, create this kind of “feeding loop” — what the Hungarian cult that first demonstrated the dangers of such a cycle dubbed “the bottomless crimson fountain.”
The two problems with mutual cannibalism are Vinculums and Vitae Addiction.
A Hungarian sect splintered off The Ordo Dracul in the 1890s and practiced this sort of enlightened feeding, only to collapse under the weight of those drawbacks. The initial framework was that each member of the cult had a “designated domitor” with whom that member would develop a full Vinculum. In this fashion, the cultist could feed from others without danger of additional, partial bonds. To keep one “top Kindred” from enslaving all others, each cultist was supposed to bind herself to only one fellow cultist and have only one fellow cultist fully bound to her. With this daisy chain of adoration, the cult members imagined their relationships would remain stable, feeding from one another whenever needed and being unstoppably powerful.
The problem with this model was that as soon as one member snapped and drained another completely (and the more members there were, the sooner a fatally weak link emerged), another member became crazed with a thirst for revenge — while possibly psychotic with Addiction — upon the murderer of her domitor. At the same time, that grieving monster became free of her mandatory Vinculum and could begin collecting bonds of blood from others in order to take control of her peers — until she inevitably formed another full Vinculum, while insane with Addiction. And all that discounts the dangers of Diablerie, which just greased the slope from enlightened feeding society down to mad feeding frenzy for the ill-fated Hungarian cult.
The second iteration of the cult was made up of pairs that fed exclusively on each other. That was more stable: instead of a critical mass in which one weak link sent the entire chain going ape on each other, the worst-case scenario was only a Mexican standoff between the two mutually adoring (but still addicted and frenzy-prone) members. These so-called “Hungarian Marriages” often sated their Addiction on other vampires, with the predictable result that they’d get hunted down like rabid dogs.
It is now Order law in many domains that no two Kindred possessing the third Coil of Blood should feed upon each other “habitually or repeatedly.” If such a pairing is found, and both are judged to have voluntarily participated in the Hungarian Marriage, the local penalty they may face ranges from the minor to the severe. For example, the only such pairing every uncovered in Miami was penalized with a sentence of “separation from the partner for a period of no less than 20 years.” By contrast, in Warsaw, the stated penalty is supposedly “that the pair be sealed up, awake, together, in a box of steel or stone and cast away from the domain, into the sea or into the ground.”
Oaths and Stories
The structure of Oaths in an Ordo Dracul chronicle has a powerful effect on the kinds of stories that get told. If the characters all accept the Oath of the Axe, the Ordo is going to apply them to missions in which danger is expected and force is, if not the solution, certainly a strong possibility. A coterie of Dying Light Sworn, on the other hand, are going to spend the bulk of their time investigating the unknown and trying to get to the bottom of court cases. Like a combinationbetween an occult detective and a mundane jury, their primary concern will be discernment. As for a group of Mystery-bound, their business is going to be politics, politics, politics.Players should realize that being offered an Oath is a chance to steer the future of the chronicle in one of those three directions — towards conflict, mystery or intrigue. Similarly, Storytellers should recognize that the Oaths sought by the characters indicate a vote from the players about what kind of game they want to be playing. Players who busted their humps to get into the Dying Light are going to be less happy with a game that’s all fighting, even if the fights are brilliantly conceived and described.
It’s quite possible, of course, that a Blood Coven that starts out as Slaves together could rise to get an even spread of all three Oaths. In that case, it’s simply a matter of the Storyteller providing the balance of challenges which the players collectively desire.