The Undying Society is a political community, where representatives from every Clan arrive to further the Clans agenda and their own Ambitions. The Society gets together at the local Elysium, usually run and governed by Clan Revenant.
The emblem of the Undying Society
Traditions
Every city that harbors Vampires or Ghouls is under the Traditions. Laws for all Socialites to follow. Traditions are adhered to differently from city to city, but they are always present. They are meant to create civility out of the ruthless.
Diablerie of the unwilling and the Blood Bonded is forbidden.
Thou shalt not start a physical confrontation nor alter the minds of those with the highest Status.
Clan Revenant retains the following privileges.
- Clan Revenant do not vote or propose on Council matters but decide the outcome of any tied votation.
- Clan Revenant decides the Status of Socialites in the Undying Society.
- Should Clan Revenant lose any of its privileges, or the council is controlled by a singular individual or Clan, the funding from the Undying Syndicate will be cut.
Any and all breaks of the Traditions have a variety of punishment, all from flogging and other kinds of medieval torture, to something more nuanced, or just the simplicity of decapitation. It is all up to the powers in place and their loyal subjects to see to a fitting punishment.
Taboo’s
So what is not explicitly outlawed in the Undying Society is instead a Taboo, a certain behavior or opinion which is shunned by the remaining society.
- Murder of other Socialites is a huge taboo. It shows that you are too weak to act in any other capacity.
- Not showing the proper respect a Status deserves spits in the face of our society.
- A Clan that frequently is the culprit of stirring the Hunters is seen as weak.
- Attacking/disrespecting Elysium Staff shows disrespect to Undying Society.
- No Weapons or Stakes are allowed on the Elysium grounds. The titles that may carry Stakes are: Keeper, Chaperon, Perfectionist, First Speaker, Warden, Agamemnon Councilor and Arbiter. Only Elysium Guard may carry Weapons.
- Interfering with a Trial or the Council Meeting is a quick way to lose Status.
- Not agreeing on a Taboo is very eccentric and can be shunned as much as doing the Taboo itself.
| Weapons & Stakes Weapons are illegal at the Elysium, so getting one inside requires smuggling. Get the Storytellers permission when you want to do this and be aware it will acquire another willing Character working for the Elysium Staff to help you smuggle a Weapon inside. These Titles can carry Weapons without smuggling or permission: Elysium Guard. Stakes are illegal at the Elysium, so getting one inside requires smuggling. Get the Storytellers permission when you want to do this and be aware it will acquire another willing Character working for the Elysium Staff to help you smuggle a Weapon inside. These Titles can carry Stakes without smuggling or permission: Keeper, Chaperon, Perfectionist, First Speaker, Warden, Agamemnon Councilor and Arbiter. |
The Council Meeting
The Elysium is the location of the Council of the Clans. The purpose of the Council is to create stability, to barter peace when needed and to promote agents of the council in duty of the city as a whole.
The Council Meeting is a public affair.
The Council does not have discussions during the Meeting, the discussions happen outside of the Council Meeting.
Step 1: The Announcing
Each Councilor announces their full name and Titles. Clan Revenant then announces changes in Status.
Step 2: The Apology
A prominent of a clan can give an formal apology to the entire society on the behalf of themselves or another member of their clan.
Step 3: Last Months Proposition
During this step, a vote will take place on the Proposition of the last Council Meeting.
Each Clan has 1 vote, plus an additional vote for each Territory where they control the majority of the Domains.
The voting starts with the proposing Clan and then clockwise from there, Clan Revenant does not get to vote. Tied votation is decided by Clan Revenant.
Step 4: This Months Proposition
Each month on rotation one Clan may bring forth one Proposition.
This proposition can be the granting of a Society Title or a change to the current Traditions, Taboos or the process of The Political Structure.
This will then be voted upon during the next Council meeting.
Step 5: Judgment
The Arbiter can now approach the council with accusations of Tradition breaking worthy of execution. The Arbiter presents the evidence or witnesses and the Council then votes on the matter.
Should the Council approve, then a Trial will be held next month outside of the Council Meeting.
A Trial will have three Judges, one selected by the Arbiter, one selected by the Accused Councilor, and one selected by the Council.
Step 6: Vox Populi
At the end of the Council Meeting, a single Prominent Member of the Undying Society may bring forth an issue, which the Council will listen to and respond upon.
Step 7: The Pledge
At the January Council meeting, the Clan leaders shall stand before the council and present to them and the city, how their respective clans will show its potential and magnitude in the coming year.
Status
Status bleeds into every aspect of a Vampire’s unlife, and is as politically important as it is socially.
Starting Status is based on Clan Rank(Affected by both Merits and Flaws). This is because Clan Rank determines direct power and wealth and the Undying Society can only respect important people. The Agamemnon have huge personal wealth but very little actual power as they do not have the backing of a Clan, so their starting Status is Blue.
Society Titles can also set one’s Status: Becoming Councilor or Arbiter sets your Status at Eminent(Purple), it can then be changed depending on what you do. Losing a Society Title usually means lowering your Status to what it was before, unless your time with the Title was noteworthy.
| Clan Rank 5+ | Starting Status – Purple |
| Clan Rank 3 – 4 | Starting Status – Blue |
| Clan Rank 0 – 2 | Starting Status – Red |
Status after the start is decided by Clan Revenant and their Status Manager, then published at the Council meetings. Clan Revenant decides a person’s Status based on Taboo- or Tradition breaking and favors done for Clan Revenant or the Undying Society.
Characters will have a color coded name tag, the color represents Status. The name tag itself is not Ingame.
Beyond Disdain Should you ever manage to fall so low, that even being a Disdain is not enough, then it will affect the Status of your nearest responsible leader within your Clan instead. This could be your Speaker, Matriarch, Decan, Warden, Perfectionist etc.
The Agamemnon Clausul Because Clan Agamemnon is not a Clan in unison they are exempt from following Status rules: Beyond Disdain and Councilor Status.
| . Purple . | Eminent Socialite(5). They represent their Clan to the fullest, starting a mental or physical fight with them will cause you to break the second Tradition. Their words carry weight, Elysium Staff will serve you without question, even other Clans treat you with respect. |
| . Blue . | Prominent Socialite(4). You can be granted audience with the Council. Your words carry weight and you should be treated with respect. |
| . Red . | Established Socialite(3). You will neither be treated with nor without favor. |
| . White . | Elysium Staff(2). Hurting or disrespecting them will cause you to lose Status. |
| . Yellow . | Disdained Socialite(1). They must be shown proper disrespect, lest people might think you be friends. |
ST’s Note: Do not avoid Characters because of their Status, it doesn’t create dramatic storytelling. We highly encourage you to instead be proactive with other Character’s Status.
Society Titles
Reach for it, fail to uphold, resign as incompetent. Reach for it…
Titles are not necessarily tied to Clans, these Titles serve a larger purpose for the society and as such grants some sort of power and responsibility.
Councilor – Appointed by each Clan. The Councilor sits in the Council and can use votes to pass decisions. Their duty is to attend the Council or to send someone in their stead. Each Councilors Status is set to Emininent(Purple).
Arbiter – Appointed by the Council. The Arbiter has the power to settle disputes between Clans and judge Tradition breaking. The Arbiter has the duty to solve problems before they escalate. They enforce, judge and punish but cannot order any execution without approval from the Council. They gain resources from the Syndicate Fund and may carry Stakes. The Arbiter is allowed to carry Stakes, and their Status is set to Emininent(Purple).
Deputy – An Arbiter can deputize anyone, these Deputies may loan the Arbiters Stake and investigate Disputes. A Deputy assists an Arbiter in their task of finding the truth of a matter, but they wield no official power.
Elysium Staff – Voluntary or Punishment either received by a Arbiter, the Council, or a Clan. The Staff members duties are to to be a servant in the Elysium catering to Elysium visitors. To be Elysium Staff is seen as a lesson in humility and a formative experience for all Neonate Socialites. Elysium Staff has their Status set to Elysium Staff(White), Elysium Guards are allowed to carry Weapons.
Vampire: The Ambitious 