Vampiric society is almost always as static and unyielding as everything else about the Curse. Vampires exist in one of five main political structures, called Covenants.
Invictus[]
Main article: Invictus
Symbol of the Invictus.
The Invictus are the oldest of the Covenants, existing in its current form since the birth of Rome. The precursors to the Invictus predate even that, back to the time of the first vampires. The Invictus believe in absolute power and obedience to your superiors, with a rigid superiority based on seniority and blood-ties.
The principle law of the Invictus is the Masquerade – the demand that Vampires hide their existence from mortals. Breaches of the Masquerade are the most common reason for the Invictus to sentence a Vampire to death. The second capital offense is called Diablerie – the consumption of another Vampire's heart-blood to increase one's own power. Diablerie is never a forgivable sin – any who are found to have committed it earn an immediate death-sentence from the Invictus rulership, and many Domini will collaborate between cities to ensure that a Diablerist meets his Final Death quickly.
Lancea Sancta[]
Symbol of the Lancea Sancta.
The Invictus is loosely allied with the Lancea Sancta, the closest thing to a modern religion that Vampiric society has. The Lancea Sancta was supposedly founded in 33 AD by the roman soldier Longinus, who was turned into a Vampire as a curse from God for having pierced Christ's side. By tradition, the eldest member of the Lancea Sanctum within a city serves on the Invictus Dominus' Council of Primogens, acting as a liaison between the First and Second Estates.
Belial's Brood[]
Symbol of the Belial's Brood.
Belial's Brood is the oldest opposition to the Invictus, predating the Roman era by at least 800 years. Belial's Brood revel in their Cursed nature, spreading destruction and misery wherever they go. They are violently opposed to the principles of the Masquerade and the ban against Diablerie, and believe that it is the strong's right to prey upon the weak. Belial's Brood seeks a night when Vampires will lord over a helpless humanity, feeding and tormenting as they will.
Circle of the Crone[]
The Circle of the Crone were the first Vampiric religion, an old pagan blood-sacrifice cult built around the worship of Lilith, the sorcerer who the Circle claims created the first Vampire out of her son, Cain. The Circle of the Crone believes that the Vampiric condition is not a curse, but a magical state of being meant to grant power to the chosen few. The Covenant is split into small covens, each typically made of between five and thirteen vampires. One member of each Coven will be the revered mother or revered father, the coven's leader and rite-master. Some parts of the Circle of the Crone and Belial's Brood are loosely aligned, although the Circle will not hesitate to put down members of Belial's Brood that go too far. Other segments of the Circle of the Crone ally themselves with the Invictus, advising and aiding the Lamia in maintaining order within the cities. Some cynical Carthians suppose that the Circle of the Crone deliberately plays both sides.
Carthians[]
Symbol of the Carthian Movement.
Reborn from the fires of the French Revolution, the Carthian Movement is a vampiric covenant dedicated to the idea of democratic rule, rather than rule by force. Directly opposed to the Invictus for obvious reasons, Carthian cities are often hotbeds of political strife and instability. Belial's Brood often uses the Carthian movement as a cover when attempting to undermine the Invictus, leading the First Estate to treat most Carthians as anathema on sight.
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Vampire Covenants |
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Invictus · Lancea Sancta · Circle of the Crone · Carthian Movement · Belial's Brood |