This, the most prolific of the vampire sects was formed in the 14th century to counter the Inquisition and the Anarchs. Its main reason for existing was to institute and enforce the Masquerade. A noble and worthwhile cause, but not enough for the powers behind the Camarilla. The sect now rules and controls, or at least atempts to rule and control, almost every aspectof vampiric life from feeding to punishment. Justicars claim rule of law over all kindred, Camarilla or not.
Many in other sects believe the Camarilla to be pawns at the most, a living larder at the worst, of the Antediluvians. Certainly many things supprt this theory. The lack of historical teaching, the ridiculing of scholars, the dersion heaped on those who do know of Gehenna and the elders. It seems foolish for a society of vampires to ignore any myth.
The basic unit of the Camarilla is the Princedom, or fief. Princes pre-date the Camarilla by a long long time. It has long been the tradition of kindred, where humanity will support their number, to live together under a leader. Modern cities make larger groups possible as well as more positions. A Prince holds power of life and death over those in his fief.
The Justicars are agents of oppression and 'justice' within the Camarilla enforcing laws and traditions which are a foul mockery of Cains own words and laws. They claim dominion over all kindred and set themselves up as near Gods. Even members of unworthy clans may be chosen to hold these positions in the name of fairness.
There is no doubting the power of the Camarilla, it outnumbers the Sabbat three to one, but its members lack passion or vision. They seem merely content to exist, not to strive for anything. Too caught up in their own machiavellian schemes to bother with anything outside the vampiric clique.
The Camarilla claims dominion over all kindred regardless of sect, clan or personal choice. Their Justicars will enact their perverse form of Justice on anyone who crosses their path whether sworn to the Camarilla or not. Unofficially the Cam seems to claim dominion over the mortal sphere as well striving and struggling to exract control over the herd through businesses and organisations. I can afford to laugh at this goal knowing as I do that there is a much bigger fish with much more insidious control than even millenia old kindred can bring together.
FIRST TRADITION "Honour one anothers domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shalt present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptence thou art nothing."
SECOND TRADITION "Thy domain is thy own concern. All others owe thee respect while in it. None may challenge they word while in thy domain."
THIRD TRADITION "Thou shalt only sire another with the permission of thine elder. If thou shalt create another without thine elder's leave, both thou and thy progeny shall be slain."
FOURTH TRADITION "Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy progeny shalt be released, thou shalt command them in all things. Their sins are thine to endure."
FIFTH TRADITION "Thou shalt not reveal thy true nature to those not of the blood. Doing such shalt renounce thy claims of blood."
SIXTH TRADITION "Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine elder. Only the eldest amongthee shall call the blood hunt."
INNER CIRCLE
These are allegedly the rulers of the Camarilla though, for rulers they are very quiet and never seen. No-one seems to know who they are. There is some speculation given the politicisation of the Justicars that they have in fact seized power for themselves.
JUSTICAR
Justicars are the circuit judges of the Camarilla. They are supposed to have one remit, the upholding of the Masquerade yet of late they have been sticking their noses into everything and becoming a lot more active in politics and infighting. They also seem divided on many issues, including the Convention Of Thorns, some accepting it, some threatening regardless of it. There has also been a high degree of atrition, Justicars dropping like flies.
ARCHON
The Justicars deputies, travelling to the places the Justicar cannot and dispensing 'justice'.
PRINCE
The Prince is supposed to be the final be-all and end-all of power within the Camarilla within a certain domain. In his local position a Prince outranks an Archon though going against the Archon may upset the Justicar so they rarely stand up to them. The Prince is the only one who can grant the right to create childer and has power of life and death over all residents whether they have done anything wrong or not. A Prince also generally attempts to hold power oflife and death over anyone in his domain, Camarilla or not. The Prince is supposed to be adised by the Primogen Council but is in reality either seperate fromthem or controlled by them (if not by some other outside force). By tradition the Prince is the eldest in the domain, though this need not be true. Princes are replaced by some complicated procedure called Praxis (though how this works without democracy or consideration for the desires of the fief I don't know). Or, more often, by assasination. The Prince is the sole kindred in a city who can call a blood hunt unto death or capture of any kindred who crosses them. Sometimes they even sanction diablerie.
SENESCHAL
If the Prince is a puppet then the Seneschal is the back-up stand-by puppet. In the Prince's absence or incapacitation the Seneschal takes over the rule of the domain and assumes all rights. Often if a Prince goes down the Seneschal is a likely subject.
PRIMOGEN
Primogen represent their clans and represent their clans views to the Prince and try to sway his favour. They are either toadies and lackeys kissing ass to get what they want or they are the puppet masters controlling the Prince by some means. Some clans choose their primogen by popular assent and others seem to just sling up the eldest or whoever can't be bothered to avoid the task.
WHIP
Chosen by the Primogen and rather like a Primogen's seneschal. They keep 'order' within the clan and seem to do precious little else. Probably related to the party whips within the British Parilamentary system.
SHERRIF
Lawkeeper and inestigator. Usually one of those sanctioned to use violence by the Prince.
KEEPER OF ELYSIUM
Responsible for ensuring the laws of Elysium are kept to. Disarming visitors and selecting and maintaining safe locations for meetings.
HARPY
A officially recognised gossip. Unworthy of further mention.
SCOURGE
A reintroduction of an old post. The Scourge patrols the boundries of the Princes Fief executing un-acknowledged 'undesirables'. The Anarch movement should make its displeasure at such a thing known.
The Camarilla works on a Principle of sponsorship and status which is quite complicated and quite worthless. Rather than deeds speaking for themselves a CamarillaVampire requires a sponsor torecognise them for what they have done and to lend their weight behind that kindreds standing. Gossip hear-say and arse-kissing are the order of the day and some positions seem to automatically push you up the social ladder.
The exchange of promises is not limited o the Camarilla but they make much more of a fuss over it. When a Cam kindred owes another a favour they call it a boon and to fail to pay off a boon is seen as very very bad form and may cause significant loss of standing.
THE VENTRUE
They allegedly conduct themselves with honour but I am yet to see any of this. Their ettiquette and preening is just a facade for the scheming backbiting and double dealing that goes on behind every clan. They are even more out of date than any other faction of the Camarilla, still believing that their clan has the 'divine right' to rule. Once the Brujah were the scholars and the Ventrue the warriors. It could almost be said they taught the 'rabble' the need of martial skill. There are some rumours that the Ventrue antediluvian was killed. But that is too much to hope for. A Cam Ventrue is insufferable, but if one joins another sect you will never find a member more loyal as they have so much more to prove. Teh Ventrue regard bloodline and lineage as very important for no reason I can gather, the blood not passing on any genetic predisposition to be any better according to sire. They also claim to refined tastes which makes feeding rather difficult for them. The Ventrue entangle themselves whole heartedly in the dealings of the aristocracy and big business and truly are 'suits'. I know more, but it would risk too much for the Ventrue clan as a whole for me to tell more.
THE TOREADOR
A clan of arts and beauty seems a fine prospect, divided into 'Artistes' and 'poseurs' it is unfortunate that the 'poseurs' seem to hold sway. This clan is rife with infiltrators, since any who can display beauty or talent can be taken to be a toreador. Some learn ideals from their art and dimyl sense some of the truth but too many lose themselves to hedonism or the human pleasures of the flesh. More still become part of the insidious gossip network that riddles the Camarilla and wider Vampire society spreading rumour and bullshit without foundation. That said, the Toreador that embrace ideals or the arts of war are to be respected and admired for their skill and perfection.
THE GANGREL
A warrior clan much like the Brujah and given to the same dominations. Used as shock troops by the other clans and constantly whittled down by fighting. Gangrel have some link with both the beasts of the field, their own inner animal and the Garou. Though the extent of it is uncertain. A gangrel friend is a solid and dependable one, who will have little time for the political machinations that make friends in other clans a risky prospect. The Gangrel spend much of their time alone wandering in the wilderness and seem to get on far better with the Garou than any other clan. Not all wander the fields though. Our own Mr Guile is a landowner and ardent capitalist. A lot of Caitiff seem to come from the Gangrel which is unsurprising. They seem to regard their shapeshifting and other abilities to be sacred to them though this is a new attitude. I learned to sprout claws from Guile many moons ago and he had no compunction about teaching me. There appears to be some low level antagonism between the Gangrel and the Ravnos, though, with both being linked via the Gypsies I cannot discern the reason.
THE TREMERE
The Tremere have no antediluvian, no founder in the same sense as the other clans, this makes them free in my eyes. Alas, they have forged chains of their own, to each other. The whole clan is their antediluvian, a monolithic force of binding and constricting power. Nonetheless, the Tremere plot for themselves, no-one else, and their reservoirs of knowledge are vast and deep and can teach you much. Just never turn your back on one. The Tremere orgaise themselves along lines of rank and circles of mystery. The ranks appear to be Apprentice, Regent, Lord, Pontifex and Council member though the order is not clear to me I assume Apprentice to be the lowest and Council member to be the highest. Tremere greatly fear they're superiors and cannot appear to knowingly teach Thaumaturgy to others due to something called the Lazarus Block. We did, nonetheless trick one into teaching a Non-Tremere by disguising him and fooling them. The Tremere call their magicks paths and rituals. More information on this is in our Thaumaturgy section. Tremere law and order seems to derive from something called a tribunal which, from what I've seen stems from their magickal roots as mortal members of the Enlightened. The Tremere bought their way into the nascent Camarilla by cursing the Assamites (something which may turn out to be a bad investment in the long run). Their goal seems to be to accrue more power within the cam and to gather as much occult knowledge as their immortal lives will allow. There is gathering evidence that the Tremere came into existence in the power they are today by the destruction of another clan, perhaps that clans founder. Who this was is unclear but I continue to research.
THE NOSFERATU
There are those who rise above their second birthing and try to better themselves from the state their curse has landed them in. This is the way to forgiveness and this passage is not directed at those who try. Most Nosferatu however, revel in the curse laid upon them by Cain. Not only do they embrace those of twisted body and foul blood, they curse others of more perfect lineament with twists and bumps that were not theirs to begin with. They are the main backbone of the gossip network and while this makes them useful sources of information it does mean they can never be trusted. The Nosferatu are doubly cursed, for it was their founder that turned the the third against the second destroying the chosen of Cain from jealousy and spite.
THE MALKAVIANS
The second cursed clan. Malkavians like to promote their madness as a second sight, or some kind of special way of viewing the world, but this is the greatest prank they ever pulled. There is no special insight and the way the clan 'glomms' into one at times makes revealing anythig to any of them not an especially wise move. Again, as with the Nosferatu there are those that overcome their curse and live productive lives but most revel in their madness and embrace the weak of mind, as if their consciousness destroying blood wasn't enough. As with the Nosferatu they are to be pitied and helped, not scorned and destroyed.
THE BRUJAH
The clan of warriors and scholars. We pass down the legacy of Cain's defiance. We can say 'No' in the face of all opposition. We have lead rebellions and new ideas of every kind down the ages and we destroyed out founder. Alas though, at the last hurdle Troile fell, and diablerised our founder. His anger and violence rippled down through the blood making us more prone to lose control. In some ways this is good, most Brujah learn self-control and an indomitable will and few things come between us. Of late the clan seems to forget, we are one family, and as such should look after each other first, regardless of Sect or politics.
Brujah recognition of the past does seem to be dependent on mortal nationality, which is foolish and dissapointing. The Brujah of the UK and Europe seem to hold far more regard for the 'Brujah First' philosophy than the US Brujah who also seem to be historical revisionists rewriting events of the past how they see fit to support their view. The number of whole-hearted Cam supporting Brujah is also disappointing. Here we are, a clan of scholars, warriors, reformer and revolutionaries and we've quietly been taken over by 'stealth Ventrue'. A pity indeed.
We are subdivided amongst ourselves into three rough camps. I callmyself an Iconoclast, though in truth I carry a large part of all factions within myself, most Brujah I would guess also carry parts of the other factions along inside themselves. ICONOCLASTS wish to tear things down and start over again. A large number of the more violent Anarchs from the Brujah fall into this category. INDIVIDUALISTS take the liberty of the individual over all other things and seek personal rights and changes and the allowance to seek your own path. IDEALISTS strive for utopia, or at least to make things better. It is my guess that most of the new-wave fuddy-duddy Brujah belong to this camp in the misguided belief that the Camarilla is somehow an ideal. A lot of idealists get stuck in the ideals of their mortal days, when merely the right to vote at all was a huge and contentious issue in mortal kind. Each camp appears to have its own little secrets and abilities. I know only of my own factions ability, something we call the Burning Wrath. The ability to literally make the blood boil with rage.
Traditionally any Brujah can call on any other Brujah for help and assistance. Again, the colonials seem to miss the spirit of the call and to revise it until it is almost meaningless. To them a call sometimes need not be answered. A call should ALWAYS be answered, even if its only to offer advice. Aid and assistance must be given and Brujah should not turn on Brujah for any reason. It is because of this that many in the clan no longer regard Archons and Justicars as Brujah, since they enslave themselves to a Justicar willingly and punish their own clan as much as any other, not listening to the call. Strictly speaking this interpretation is correct.
The Rant is our biggest meeting, though the colonials also engage in things called Rant & Rave (by totally misinterpreing what a Rave actually is/was in the late 80's), this is unfortunate but is the cause of much hilarity in the European Brujah. At a rant any may speak, a pecking order is determined and arguments and philosophy (and fights) rage all night. A US rave also incorporates music and partying, but nothing like an authentic Rave which would kill a Brujah party atmosphere.
We have a long tradition of assisting the oppressed and formenting rebellion, all the way from the beginning in Carthage's rebellions against the Romans. However, as usual we pushed it too far and its little wonder that the Ventrue and Toreador finally had enough and kicked our sorry ass. Expansionism was proven all the way back then as not the way to go, but we're stubborn and we don't learn from our mistakes. Again, this old spirit of rebellion and development is something that seems to have fallen by the wayside to be replaced by stubborness and kowtowing to elders. Not a good sign. The colonial Brujah also maintain that they assisted in the American War Of Independence. Initially it was Ventrue and Toreador influence that led to the duties and taxes being levied on the colonies. What most US residents fail to remember was that those duties were later lifted and it was colonial greed (and prompting from the Toreador rulers in france) that finally led to the American revolt. At that time the British Empire was being largely maintained by Brujah idealists in this country. Our Parliament was the model for all others and the banishment of slavery amongst other reforms sent our idealists miles ahead of the colonial territories who botched the job on the American Constitution as can be seen today. Our other big fuck up was the USSR, we pushed only so far and not enough, and before we knew it the mortal powermongers had seized the great experiment and turned it into another dictatorship. Hurray for us. The anarch revolt was another debacle where our fury and idealism didn't carry us quite far enough. We allowed the nascent Cam to treat the ceasefire like a surrender and didn't push hard enough for reforms. We went into the Cam hoping to change it for the better and in the end just ended up becoming part of the establishment. We need to unify, concentrate our efforts and follow through for once,but I doubt we'll ever see that. A few Brujah realised what would happen and joined the curseless Assamites in the formation of the Sabbat. It is a sobering thought for those who refuse to think on the subject of the Sabbat that they probably came from the best, most idealistic, most forward thinking amongst us.
It is clear to me from my readings and researches that we are in fact descendents of Troile (Brujah's Childe). Troile led a movement against our founder and destroyed it, falling at the last minute to the tempatation of diablerie. This is both good and bad. Good because we have no antediluvian to devour us come Gehenna, but bad in that we must recognise that we exist because of the heinous act of soul-drinking. Troile's fall is yet another example of our clan failing to carry through and falling at the last hurdle. There are whispered rumours here and there that some of the original line of Brujah remain and I have heard hear-say that they have somne control over time itself. In discussion with the enlightened I have heard that the manipulation of time is amongst their most difficult arts and so I doubt this has any credence. It may be a mistaken impression of celerity.
THE CAITIFF
Adopt them where you can for without a clan to call their own they are dangerous. They are not scum, they are not unworthy, but prophecy tells us that a Caitiff Prince will be one part of the herald of Gehenna and we should strive to delay this for as long as we can. Caitiff have to be strong and cunning to survive. Good traits in a friend. Judge each seperately, for they are their own people, each and every one.