Persons of Importance

Prince

Franz Benjamin Aachen, The Prince of Seattle, came to the city "recently" in its history, as he arrived in the mid-1930s from Dresden, Germany, fleeing the political climate there which made it dangerous for the undead to operate. Over the next few years he rose in the politics of Seattle Kindred, admired by many for his typically German sense of efficiency and his relatively libertarian ideas on government. It is said that the Chancellor, as he is known unofficially, will tolerate anything that does not threaten his city. This is not quite true, but it is true that he is less uptight than most Ventrue, and he has unofficial ties to both the Invictus and the Carthian Brotherhood. He also has a very odd sense of humor. His demeanor is such that he is often rumored to have been a contemporary of Otto von Bismarck in life, though he neither confirms nor denies this.

Sherriff

Usually the office of Sherriff is held by the largest Brujah in the city limits, so it is odd that Aachen appointed Chloe Williams, a rather slight woman who has managed to keep her lineage a secret, to the office. She is wholly unproven, as no one has ever even seen her fight. She tends to work alone until the time to make an arrest comes, and then she rounds up what she affectionately calls the Brute Squad, a group of Kindred both loyal and large.

Primogen

Ventrue

Peregrin Audrey Carlisle was the Prince of Seattle before the Chamcellor rose to the position. A steel baron in life, Peregrin could best be described as a man whose soul wears a suit. Of all the primogen, he has perhaps fared the worst with the changing of time, retaining, among other things, the racist outlook he had in life, which is a major strike against him with many of his constituents and the other clans. Because of his influence, there are significantly fewer black and asian Ventrue than statistics would suggest, and this especially angers the hot-blooded Brujah. He is a member of the Invictus in good standing, though this says nothing about the Invictus itself as its membership is open to all Kindred.

Brujah

As well befits the rebellious and active nature of the Brujah, Giselle Andrews is significantly younger than the other primogen. She was Embraced about the same time as Aachen came to Seattle, and the two have had a kind of friendly rivalry since. She can be relied upon to side with him against the Ventrue primogen, and she is about as in touch with the movements of mortal society as the Toreador are. She is a fan of alternative rock and heavy metal, and can usually be found at one of Seattle's many concert halls. She is a card-carrying member of the Carthian Brotherhood.

Toreador

The Toreador primogen, who styles herself Donatienne Aiton, can best be described as a series of dualities. She unites the aristocrat and the common woman who speaks as she finds, the virgin and the harlot, the refined artist and the punk rocker. It is not clear whether any of this is a facade, or perhaps if it started as a facade and became truth. It is suspected that Donatienne herself no longer knows, but in any case she seems able to get along with artists of all stripes, from neoclassical sculptors to punk-rockers, which goes a long way toward explaining why she is the primogen of the Toreador. She is slightly peculiar in that she has not sired any childer since the turn of the century.

Malkavian

Born of second-generation American Greeks, Alex Christoupolos had little status in his mortal life, but had risen by endeavor in scholarly circles. A contemporary of Lovecraft, he wasted much of his life attempting to formulate a many-worlds theorem in line with the etheric/phlogistonic theories of his day. While he never succeeded, his theories attracted the attention of a powerful Malkavian elder, who sired him. After some time, he left Cambridge, Massachusetts and made his way west, for his own reasons. A curious fact about the serious, inquisitive occultist is that no one is quite able to place what his particular mental deformity is. He is, however, noted for his willingness to entertain guests, especially ones he finds interesting conversationalists.

Gangrel

Though Gangrel have less power in Seattle than they do in smaller cities, they are still numerous enough to merit a seat on the council, having perhaps one hundred members in the area under the Chancellor's praxis, though mainly in the outlying towns surrounding Seattle. When the previous Primogen stepped down in 1964, the Gangrel chose Obdulia Barbier, a Cainite of some interest. Born to Creole parents in newly-independent Mexico, Obdulia moved to what is now Texas around age 20, and acted as a spy for the revolutionary forces in the Texas Revolution. She was embraced around this time, making her relatively young for a Primogen, but not as young as Giselle Andrews, the Brujah primogen. She practices a blend of Creole voodoo and Wicca, and is rumored by various people to know Thaumaturgy, Necromancy, and Dementation. Her most distinguishing feature is her eyes, which at some point in her past became those of an eagle. She hides them with sunglasses when in non-Cainite company.

Tremere

Also the Regent of the Seattle chantry, Robert Malich is often called the "little Prince", though not to his face, because of the by-the-book order he endeavors to impose on his remote chantry. It is rumored that he once held office in Vienna, but lost favor for some reason. Malich denies this rumor if anyone is impertinent enough to bring it up in his presence, but he would, wouldn't he, so that says little. He is known to enjoy games of strategy, especially chess, though a neonate introduced him to Go a few years ago and he is rumored to have become rather proficient at it.

Nosferatu

Little is known about Hugo "the Scissor" Travis, compared to the other Primogen, but it is known that he is even more cynical than most Nosferatu, though he spares the snark in part of a rather determined effort to try to make the world less worthy of cynicism.

Carthian

In a highly unusual move, the Prince invited the Carthian Brotherhood and the Invictus to appoint representatives to the Primogen council. They do not vote, and are not officially Primogen, but they give their respective factions a significant voice in the city. The representative for the Carthian Brotherhood is Esmond Levi, a grandchilde, ironically, of Carlisle. Levi takes the view, unusually for a Ventrue, that the purpose of a Ventrue is to try and make peace between Cainites, to moderate debate and safeguard the rights of the people. He has read Locke and other philosophers extensively. His high esteem among the Carthians is a cause for significant friction between his powerful grandsire and himself, but Esmond is ever careful to be polite to his elder, if only to passive-aggressively anger him.

Invictus

As befits the nature of the Invictus, their liaison to the Primogen is their highest-ranking member who is not a Primogen themselves. Ilych Rostov is one of the very few Lasombra who call Seattle home, and makes it a point that this means he can better represent the Invictus without a conflict of interest toward his own clan.

Factions

Carthian Brotherhood

The Carthians believe that all Kindred should have equal rights and representation under Kindred law. They favor representative or democratic forms of government, and are part of the reason that the Camarilla adopted an electoral model for its Primogen. They are considered the main balance against the elders and the Invictus, who tend to favor "meritocracies" consisting mainly of old, powerful vampires. Membership in the Brotherhood is open to all, but is mutually exclusive with membership in the Invictus. Other than this, however, Carthians are free to determine their other loyalties. In 1996, the Brotherhood set a precedent by opening membership to ghouls, though pragmatically only ghouls of Carthian vampires join.

Invictus

The Invictus and the Camarilla go way back, and the faction was one of the main forces that caused its founding in ancient Rome. The Invictus is a tightly-ranked group of neofeudalists, who have modernized the concept of Divine Right by way of Social Darwinism, and thus argue that the most powerful vampires (who usually happen to be the eldest) are the rightful rulers of the Kindred, with their loyal vassals right below them. It used to be that rank in the Invictus and rank in the Camarilla were nigh-identical, but since the decentralization and reform caused by the Carthians, this is no longer true. The two still correlate, but it is worth noting that the Prince of Seattle is not an official member, and more than one Primogen actively resists the Invictus. Membership is open, but mutually exclusive with membership in the Carthian Brotherhood.

Lancaea Sanctum

The Lancaea is a loose-knit group of vampires who connect the curse of Caine to some divine purpose, though it is rare to find two members who agree as to what exactly that purpose is. Due to the loose-knit nature of their membership, and the low number of vampires who are members, the Lancaea has little power in the city.

The Dreck

A generic term for various rogue groups of vampires who either worship Satan, have given themselves over to the Beast, have adopted a philosophy that they are natural predators, have adopted a philosophy that they herald the End Times, or some combination thereof. They breed like rats and die like rats, and are suprisingly difficult to stamp out. Their existence is well-known, but they move somewhat secretly. Luckily, the mortal news agencies put their activities down to gangs and serial killers.

Anarchs

The Anarchs are a loose brotherhood of vampires who claim that the ideal form of government for the Kindred is none, and that individual Kindred would be capable of enforcing the Masquerade by a process approaching enlightened mob rule. The other factions have officially denounced this position, although some radical Carthians are also Anarchs. Pragmatically, most Anarchs deal with the Camarilla and its laws on a night-to-night basis, all the while planning its eventual downfall. Membership is open to all, if only because there is no ruling body to keep anyone from claiming membership.

Other groups (rumored)

Rumors of secret societies among the Kindred (of Seattle and at large) abound, but whether there is anything to these rumors is unknown, except of course to the members of whichever groups, if any, actually exist.

Traditions

The Masquerade

Vampires are expected to keep their nature secret from mortals for the protection of all the Kindred. The one exception to this is ghouls (whether the vampire's ghoul or some other vampire's is irrelevant), who can be relied upon to keep the secret. However, if a ghoul goes rogue or otherwise damages the Masquerade, it is the ghoul's master's responsibility to fix the breach.

Domain

The Prince and the Primogen hold power in the area over which the Prince holds praxis, except the individual havens of vampires, which they hold sway over. Where these lines are drawn comes down to the old game of "What can we get away with?".

Progeny

A vampire needs (at least in Seattle) the permission of the Prince or a majority of the Primogen to create another vampire (but not ghouls). Primogen are exempt from this rule (at least in Seattle).

Freedom

A reform introduced to Seattle by the Carthians. It is not permissible to Blood Bond another vampire without their knowledge and consent (except as a punishment for breaking the Traditions), even a newly-sired childe (the Tremere are exempt in the case of binding their members to the Council of Seven). Obviously, ghouls are still fair game.

The Accounting

A newly sired vampire is their sire's responsibility. Until they have been taught the traditions and recognized as mature by the Prince or the Primogen, their sire is expected to fix any problems they create. Conversely, however, a newly-sired vampire has no rights, and may be destroyed by their sire for any or no reason. Typically, they are then allowed another childe by the Prince, within reason.

Hospitality

Less a hard-and-fast rule than a courtesy, a vampire is expected to announce themselves to the Prince upon entering the city.

Destruction

It is forbidden to harm or kill another vampire except in self-defense. Killing or harming a ghoul is permissible if it is your ghoul. Killing or harming the ghoul of another is a minor crime.