Förbund
The Carthian Movement
The Carthian Movement är en revolutionär sammanslutning som törstar efter en demokratisk arena för de invigda. De är ett nytt förbund och de allra flesta är nyfödda och oerfarna vampyrer och deras ledning väljs via omröstning. Givet den idealistiska prägel förbundet har, uppstår ofta stridigheter kring vilket styrsätt som egentligen är det bästa.
The Carthian covenant (or movement) is comprised mostly of neonates and ancillae bound together by one overriding concern: Fear. Whether it is fear of their elders, or of the rapid advance of technology, Carthians believe that, in order to survive in the new age of the twenty-first century, they must adapt and change the way things have always been done among the Kindred. This makes them a danger to elder kindred who rule by enforcing the idea that age is power, that the established order is not to be questioned.
Carthians domains are run quite differently from the domains controlled by other Covenants. They have adopted of many aspects of mortal government, such as Democracy, and the newer social innovations of mortal society. The Carthian ideal espouses every member having a voice, and everyone contributing to the betterment of all. The popular catch phrase among the covenant is: "Whatever it takes."
Carthians tend to cleave more closely to their mortal pasts than other vampires. This tendency, along with their willingness to work together against the oppression of the elders gives them a unique advantage and allows them to interact more effectively in mortal society which can provide them vast networks of mortal contacts and allies.
Carthians tend to move about more freely than other Kindred, often traveling to other cities, near and far, just to pick up on new ideas, trends or innovations. This makes the various Carthian groups much better connected than the more insular covenants which tend to remain static and ensconced within a single domain or city. And this gives the Carthians power as well. If another covenant moves against the Carthians of a given domain, they know (or soon discover to their chagrin) that other Carthians will soon arrive from other domains to support their brethren. The Invictus, Sanctified or Dracul within any domain know that they cannot count on such support from outside, indeed they might find other leaders of their own covenants supporting the Carthians as a way of expanding their own power from without.
Being a very young covenant the Carthian movement doesn't have nearly as many rituals and protocols as the First Estate or Sanctified. They do have "the Chain," a short ritual, usually initiated by the "Prefect" (the head of the Carthians in an area) at the start or end of any gathering, in which all present rise and hold hands for a moment to show that together they are strong, and the chain must not be broken.
Carthian coteries are also formed in interesting ways, one of the most common being when, during a meeting of neonates, some will see a need for something to be done (i.e. we need to take action against the Bishop because of his threat to our interests on sixth street) and they then seek out like-minded individuals willing to join to take action together. This method of leadership and coterie forming makes for short lived coteries
Such randomness and social adaptability is another reason elders justly fear and thus keep their eye on the movement. Of course there are usually more neonates than the elders have resources to watch.
Circle of the Crone
The Circle of the Crone venerates a variety of female figures as an amalgamated creator of vampires, the Mother of all Monsters. It is a secretive and mystic group of Kindred, holding its own belief about vampiric nature and even its own Discipline.
Known as Acolytes, members of the Circle believe that vampires make up a natural part of the world and can learn, grow, and find enlightenment instead of wallowing in the guilt-ridden angst of the Church of Longinus, which focuses on penance.
As a result, Acolytes often find themselves dismissed as political outcasts and heretics of vampiric existence, especially in more religious communities.
The Circle believes that creation is power. Vampires must face their static condition and overcome it by creating and cultivating whatever they can. Acolytes also cherish testing themselves, believing that only by overcoming their physical, mental and spiritual limitations can they become something more than creatures of the night. This belief can also lead to persecution, as their strange rituals of testing can seem barbaric and even unholy to some Kindred.
The Circle practices a unique form of ritual known as Crúac. Study of these rituals requires a degree of devotion to the Circle's pagan gods, which requires a degree of cruelty that erodes a vampire's connection to his or her past life.
Core beliefs: The Circle as a whole believes that to survive the great onslaught of eternal life, they must find a balance between opposing halves: the destroyer that their blood pushes them to be, and the Creator that they can be.
Ranks: The Circle nominally (as of pre-CotC sourcebook info) has only three titles that a member can hold. A Hierophant is the spiritual leader of the Circle in an area. The Acolytes are those of the Circle that have passed the rituals of testing of a particular Coven, and are thus fully initiated into her mysteries. Lastly, the Chorus makes up any Kindred or Mortals that are curious about the Circle, or hold strong beliefs similar to the local coven, but have not, or will not pass the initiation rituals.
Crúac: All full members of the Circle of the Crone (meaning CotC status 1+) can get access to the Mystic Ritual based Discipline called Crúac. To learn Crúac, or to continue learning Crúac levels or rituals, a character must be a *current* member of the Circle of the Crone with at least a True Covenant CotC status of 1 or more.
The Invictus
The Invictus (lit. "The Unconquered") are vampires who believe that they are the rightful rulers of all undead. They are the temporal and spiritual inheritors of the Camarilla, the society of vampires who ruled the nights in ancient Rome. The First Estate, as it is known, is dedicated to preserving vampiric society—and maintaining the primacy of the Invictus within that society. They do this through human pawns, ruthless acumen, refined cunning and naked expression of power.
The Invictus is the landed aristocracy of the Damned. An elitist organization at its core, the Invictus teaches that power is everything and those who gain power deserve it most: within the Invictus, cunning, ruthlessness, and ambition are defining virtues. To some, especially neonate vampires, the Invictus is nothing more than an edifice of dusty old vampires clinging to empty traditions and the vacuous pursuit of power for its own sake. But power, as they say, is its own reward.
The Invictus strives to maintain order among the Damned and seeks to uphold the Traditions to the fullest extent possible. There is an air of cultivated refinement within the covenant, based in two thousand years of tradition and decorated by pomp and protocol. Detractors accuse the Invictus of using these things to deny their true natures. Any good Invictus meets these accusations with a sneer. It's not about denying what you are, to the Unconquered; it's about making the most of it. An Invictus vampire does not fling herself at you, claws out, to rip you limb from limb; she draws the beast out, like a strand of razor-wire, channeling that rage to make you pay, and pay, and pay…
Lancea Sanctum
The "Sanctified," as they call themselves, embrace the theocracy of modern religions. In the neo-feudal political structure vampires have made for themselves, the Lancea Sanctum represent the Catholic Church, painting themselves as the moral authority for Kindred society. The main focus of this belief stems from the Sanctified document called the Testament of Longinus, ostensibly a semi-Biblical account of Longinus' wanderings and philosophies after his transformation. The Testament of Longinus is composed of five books. The Malediction of Longinus: A history of Longinus’ life, from birth through damnation. The Torments of Longinus: The story of Longinus’ Requiem, including the Embrace of the Monachus and the foundation of the Black Abbey. The Rule of Golgotha: A collection of laws and precepts describing the proper behavior and morality of Sanctified vampires, collectively referred to as the Rule. The Sanguinaria: The tale of the first Dark Apostles, including the Five Martyrs. The Book of Eschaton: Cryptic verses of prophecy foretold by Longinus.
The Sanctified have little doubt that they are the superior beings, because they have a direct connection with God, and they understand the nature of damnation. The Lancea Sanctum teaches that the damnation, while tragic, is also a state of being demanded by God and the Dark Prophet. It’s a curse, to be sure, but a sacred burden, like a battered and bleeding Christ bearing the heavy cross. The Kindred of the covenant know that they are condemned to exist as deathless beings outside the light, and they accept it. They also accept the bloodthirsty state of their condition, setting aside the constraints of a mortal life in favor of the true way, the predators way. That doesn’t mean their behavior dissolves into mindless brutality, however. No, most Sanctified know that a balance needs to be struck between the monster and the missionary, the beast and the bishop. Members of this covenant acknowledge they have been cursed by God. But they also point out that unlike the Devil, they were not cast into Hell. Instead, they walk the modern nights with their free will intact.
Thus the Kindred of the Lancea Sanctum conclude that they are to serve as object lessons to humanity; they are the price of sin. By preying on mortals they remind them that life is fleeting and nothing compares to the Heaven the worthy attains. To this end, the Sanctified zealously bear the weight of damnation as they revel in their monstrous nature, knowing that they are part of God's Great Plan. They see the Glory of Heaven as the ultimate carrot for humanity's salvation.
Ordo Dracul
The Ordo Dracul was founded by the legendary Dracula in the nights following his transformation into a vampire. Dracula, who came to see that even the static nature of the Kindred was subject to gradual but inevitable change, gathered his brides-Mara the warrior, Anoushka the wise, and Lisette the visionary-and created the Ordo Dracul. While ostensibly a secret society of Kindred occultists, the Ordo Dracul's Great Work is nothing short of transcendence of the vampiric condition. No mere return to humanity, the Dragons believe that something lies beyond the curse—and they intend to find out what that thing may be.
The Ordo Dracul knows the lessons of change all too well. During Vienna's heyday they were one of the dominant covenants in the city. In their pride, the Dragons of Vienna let slip too many secrets, centralized themselves too much, grew too comfortable and secure; and when change happened, they paid for it. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the Invictus and Lancea Sanctum cracking down against the Dragons, burning their books and torporing or banishing their elders. At the dawn of the 21st century, the Viennese Dragons were kept on a short leash by the Invictus.
But even for the Kindred, change can happen quickly. As the reign of Prince Wallenstein of the Invictus grew senile and stagnant, the First Estate rose up in bloody revolt. The end result saw most of the city's elders, including the city's elder Dragons, dead or in torpor. The Lancea Sanctum ultimately wound up claiming the princedom, yet this does not seem to be the death-knell for the Ordo Dracul some would have predicted.
Change has happened. Now it falls to thoughtful and impetuous Dragons to give it purpose.
Belial's Brood - Baloney
VII
The Unaligned
The Unaligned are those Vampires who have chosen to follow no defined Covenant. They are the unbound. Among the normally staid and conservative Kindred, they are the free-thinkers, the iconoclasts. Some are rebels, deliberately flouting the conventions of their elders. Others merely wish to go their own way, unrestricted by what others think or demand of them, but choose not to make unnecessary waves. Some are fiercely independent and would rather face the Final Death than suffer the chains of obedience and fealty within the neo-fuedal order that represents modern Kindred society.
The Unaligned are often described as a Covenant but, if they are, they are a Covenant with no rules, no conventions, no leaders and no followers. Being unaligned is not without its risks. Often one's associations and connections within Kindred society provide protection and support that can mean the difference between unlife and the Final Death. The unaligned eschew most such connections and thus stand alone against the night and its many dangers.
