The Six Traditions
The Rules governing the Camarilla
The Six Traditions form the core framework for governance among the Kindred. While they are interpreted in wildly different ways and given various attention by individual princes and councils, they are ancient customs that no initial Camarilla Kindred is unaware of. Even if they were, ignorance is no excuse for breaking them.
The First Tradition: The Masquerade
Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the Blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of Blood
The First Tradition is the only one universally respected, but also the one that is broken most often. A sloppy feeding with witnesses, a vulgar display of undead might, a confession to a beloved mortal - these things happen, but Kindred are expected to clean up after themselves or there will be hell to pay. In the age of YouTube dares, clickbait, and fake news, a Masquerade breach is easily overlooked by the masses, but any transgression can end with a black ops team kicking in a haven door. Thus, the Camarilla (and the Anarchs) take the Masquerade very, very seriously. Only the craziest of Cainite superiority fanatics dream of an age where they can rule openly; the rest have faced reality – the undead fare better as parasitic powers hiding in the shadows of the throne than standing in the light as great predators or infernal lords of human dominions.
The Second Tradition: The Domain
Thy domain is thine own concern. All others owe thee respect while in it. None may challenge thy word while in thy domain.
A Prince’s domain is the whole city, but they may grant rights to those who have served them, allowing others to rule over a district or a city block in their stead. This creates an elaborate hierarchy of liege lords and lieges, reminiscent of the feudalism of the late Middle Ages or the structure of some modern criminal organizations
The Third Tradition:The Progeny
Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine elder. If thou createst another without thine Elder’s leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain.
Overpopulation can quickly become a serious threat to the Masquerade, and having to ask the Prince for permission to make a childe is the best way to avoid it anyone has come up with. A companion of one’s own Blood is one of the things most desired by Kindred, and a thing they cannot freely have. Thus, it is a coveted gift and a powerful tool in securing alliances. Vampire populations used to hover around one per 100,000 mortals, but tonight – who can say? Some cities, like London, are almost empty after the Second Inquisition crackdowns, and others are hives of thin-blood activity.
The Fourth Tradition: The Accounting
Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy Progeny shall be Released, thou shall command them in all things. Their sins are thine to endure.
Tonight, release into the Camarilla is more a question of initiation than anything else. If a childe does not have what it takes to join the elite, they are thrown to the Anarchs to be hunted and stepped on like the rest of the unbound, if not destroyed outright. Childer who are accepted, but escape from oppressive sires are still their responsibility, so the maker better find their wayward progeny fast. And punish them.
The Fifth Tradition: Hospitality
Honor one another’s domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing.
This tradition is becoming polarized in its enforcement. Keeping track of who is in the city is a daunting task in the era of unfettered global travel, free egress across borders, ease of people refugee smuggling, and such. Princes usually either give up on enforcing this law or do it in a draconian fashion, actively backing harsh immigration policies, building walls, or infiltrating border controls just to keep up, often with mortal assistance.
The Sixth Tradition: Destruction
Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt.
The Blood Hunt is the ultimate punishment in Vampire society. Normally the destruction of another Kindred is seen as a cardinal sin, but anyone can hunt and kill those that are named the targets of lex talionis, the law of retaliation. Even the thin-blooded, the Anarchs, and the independents are invited to the murder party. Anything goes in the Blood Hunt and, if the one who kills the target drinks it dry and claims a part of their power – the terrible crime of diablerie – so be it.
Observance
Presumed to be observed by ALL KIndred of the Camarilla, the Anarchs and most Independent sects
Related Organizations
