Court Positions

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Prince - Traditionally the prince is the eldest Cainite of the city, and may claim any noble title they wish, "King", "Duke", and "Archbishop" among others are borrowed from human history. Women normally rule with prince, gender be damned or they may at their leisure take "Queen", "Duchess" or whatever they want. The prince gains the Positional Status of Exalted, Well Known, and Famous. Generally, the Prince is 7th gen or better.

Seneschal - The Seneschal is the prince's right hand, the one occupied with the dry business of governance. It is he who chooses (often with greased palms) which complaints will go before the prince. In some domains Seneschals are mere lackeys. In others, they wield considerable power and are perhaps the true power behind the throne. The Seneschal gains the positional status Cherished, and Esteemed. Generally, the Seneschal is 8th - 10th gen.

Chamberlain - The Chamberlain is the social heart of the prince's court, organizing the feasts and tourneys and welcoming visiting dignitaries. They are also a skilled gossip and rumormonger, able to take the pulse of the subjects and discover detractors. If the Seneschal is the Right hand of the Prince the Chamberlain is his left. During the war of Princes the Chamberlain serves as a master of Spies and intrigue. He has the power to remove Cainites from the land with merely a few words, though a Chamberlain with too much power is as much a bane to the Baron as he is a boon. The Chamberlain gains the positional status Influential. The Chamberlain may remove status due to the breaking of boons or traditions. When doing so they are considered speaking with the voice and authority of the Prince and all of the Elders, and therefore removing status costs nothing. If the person they are removing the status from is brought to negative status the person may be blood hunted at the discretion of the Prince or Seneschal, or Exiled by the Sheriff or vote of Elders, if no other officers are available. Generally, the Chamberlain is 8th-10th Gen.

The Eldest - The speaker of the Elder Council, this Cainite is not always the Oldest member of the council, but is merely the mouthpiece. In court they are considered to be speaking with the full Status of the Elder Council when awarding or removing Status or making proclamations. Traditionally the Eldest may not claim Praxis while holding the title Eldest. In cities without a Prince it is their responsibility to take his place until a new one is announced, when a new one is brought in by the Elder Council it is his job to announce the new Prince. The Eldest gains a temporary Status from each member of the Council that is an Elder (Primogen and Whips do not count towards this total) while speaking in court or performing courtly duties only, while not in court he gains the positional status Revered. Only the Eldest may grant status to the prince in his own court. Generally, Eldest is 7th gen.

Elder – See Elder Council.

Sheriff - The Sheriff handles security and jurisdiction keeping Neonates from raising too much hell and unwanted visitors out. During wartime Sheriffs become sergeants for the Warmaster assisting and coordinating defenses for the city when the prince and the Warmaster are on the battlefield. Often the Sheriff is called to enforce and lead blood hunts, bring other Cainites in for questioning by the Prince or Chamberlain. The Sheriff may ignore Status temporarily from any Cainite except the Prince while he is performing the function of his duties. The Sheriff gains the positional status Feared. Those that refuse to answer to the sheriff while performing his duties lose a permanent Status. Traditionally the Sheriff only kills Cainites who are blood hunted, otherwise it is his job to Exile, torpor, or incapacitate criminals. Generally, the Sheriff is 9th - 10th gen.

Warmaster - He is the general to the princes’ army, and only to a prince who can muster enough forces to be called an army. If the sheriff is concerned with city security, the Warmaster is concerned with the domain as a whole. The Warmaster gains the positional status Brave. Generally, the Warmaster is 8th - 10th gen. During times of open war a Warmaster may remove or grant one status to each member of the court depending on their actions during the war.

Keeper - The keeper is the princes’ spiritual adviser and counselor. Some still use the older Malkavian and Nosferatu oracles, but most call upon the ashen priests, the teachers and leaders on one of the roads of enlightenment. Keepers advise their princes on matters political and mystical and may lead sacraments of the roads. Often Keepers are quick to summon Justicars, or Luminaries of the road to aid in removing or assisting Cainites close to Wassail. Keepers should be on the same road as the Baron they serve. The Keeper gains the positional status Honorable. Generally, the Keeper is 7th - 10th gen.

Scourge - The scourge acts as the prince's private executioner, patrolling the domain for unwanted visitors - Caitiff, Autarkis and other undesirables - and either bring them to the Prince or destroy them outright. The scourge need not worry about the political ramifications of his acts or the sniping of a prince's critics, as the sheriff often must. The post is not one to encourage friendly relationships, and many Cainites fear and distrust the scourge. The scourge gains the positional status Feared. The scourge may remove a temporary status from any Cainite who they have discovered breaking the right of progeny. Once evidence is brought in court this status removal becomes permanent. Generally, the Scourge is 10th - 12th gen.

For Primogen, Praesidio and Whips see Elder Council. These positions do not offer status in Cainite society.

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The Council of Elders - Historically the Council of Elders act as an advisory council to the Prince. But they are also considered the mouthpiece and leader of their own specific clans. They may choose who becomes the new prince when it is needed, are responsible for suggesting a war-master as well as assisting in funding his military in times of war, they are also responsible for ensuring that their clan mates needs are met, such as feeding and domain are taken care of. They also share responsibility for the upkeep and care of the entire mortal herd. When appropriate they can give out Status to deserving members of the court. Once a Cainite is a member of the Elder council they cannot be removed except by promotion to Prince, Exile bv the Prince or Final Death.

In times of war they can be expected to use the clans they speak for, and their own resources to help defend the domain, this often involves using neonates as fodder or distractions while the Elders and more important members of the court are given time to regroup or run away.

Each clan traditionally has a member on the Elder council, and each member of the council is given the Status “Maior” while he maintains this position. In order to be considered an Elder of the Clan a Cainite must have at least two personal Cainite Status (Merits that offer phantom statuses do not count towards this nor does "Acknowledged"), there must be more than two members of their clan in the city, and they must be the oldest member of that clan in either physical years or generation, they must be at least 8th Generation to even be considered holding a seat on the council.  Traditionally, Elders often swear an Oath to serve both Court and Clan, more rebelliously minded Cainites will inform you that the Court does not necessarily mean the Prince.

Clans that do not have enough members but do have the age and status may elect to become a Primogen. Primogen have the authority to speak among the elders as if they were equals but not to vote. They may come and go into council meetings as they please, but they may not have a whip or Praesidio under their clan. Once they gain more members into their clans they are considered a member of the Elder council.

Clans that do not have Elders, Primogen or members that meet the status, age or generation criteria may instead have a Whip. Each clan regardless of number may have a whip provided that there is not a member on the council. A Whip must often pay a boon to an Elder to speak for them and will often sit by him during council meetings. They may speak for the needs of their own clan only when addressed by an Elder directly but they do not have a vote on the council. If a whip does speak out of turn he is often put in torpor for his crime, if the outburst was bad enough he may even face final death. It is common for Whips to pick Elders on the same road as they, and to swear Oaths of Fealty, marrying the clans in the city for a time.

Elders often trade whips among themselves, as the whips clan becomes less of a boon and more of a bother. A whip who enters an Elder council meeting without their Elder present is considered to act above their station and will often face the ire of the entire council. Punishments for such a faux pass include having status removed, hefty boons requested, or one sided duels to the death.

Praesidio – The guard of the Elder council.  The council will often recruit one or two Cainites from among the whips, or their own clans to act as guards during meetings, it is their responsibility to stop fights from breaking out, put down spies, punish disrespectful whips or act as the secret enforcer of the council in times of need. Often these guards are one or two step bound to each member of the council, or fully bound to the Eldest. Having a Praesidio is a mark of distinction for Elder councils, and are usually given both permanent and temporary Status by the Council as soon as they are recruited and bound. Often the High clans and the Low clans will each pick their own Praesidio to work out problems among their own societies. A praesidio is not allowed to verbally speak during a vote or discussion. Traditionally Praesidio who do speak during a formal meeting willingly have their tongues burned out of their mouths for their crime. If their voice was used to warn of ambush or other calamity the Elders may allow them to grow their tongues back, the blood bond and a sense of honor often enforce this behavior. If a whip is killed during a meeting, it is often the Praesidio who takes the blame for it, assuming anyone misses the Whip. If a member of the council is killed during a meeting, the Praesidio are required by oath to mete out the councils justice against them, doing so against another member of the council often results in a loss of status for the guard as well as a risk of Bloodhunt should the prince be required to get involved.

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Most courts do not have enough members to fill all the positions of the court as well as a full Elder council.

Sometimes members of the Cainite court may take more than one position but only gain the beneficial status of that position while doing the functions of that position. The only positions that cannot be done by the same Cainite are Eldest, and Prince. Normally the Prince is politely asked to refrain from joining the Elder council though he may sit in on meetings and speak at his leisure.

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For the purposes of Elders, Bloodlines (such as Lhiannan, Lamia and Kiasyd ) are never even considered for a position on the Elder council. They would be required to have a member of their parent clan represent them. In these cases, there normally aren't enough of their number to even make a case as to holding a seat even if they did want to.

Generally, for Bloodlines that do not get along with their parent clan, boons are paid to the Prince to get a position within the court so as to have a measure of respect and credibility. Boons from a court member to the council are far better than boons from "some mongrel whose blood is corrupted."

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