Vampire Covenants
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Circle of Dust
The Circle of Dust is considered the most primal Covenant. It is least concerned with keeping the beast under control or clinging to humanity. In the eternal battle of Man against Beast, they take the side of the beast. They welcome it as reinforcement and embodiment of their true nature. The Circle sees the Beast as a sign that they will eliminate everything human within them.
Their unique form of Blood Sorcery, Crúac, can even awaken traces of this monstrous beast in Kindred and mortals alike. It may force the Kindred into a frenzy and drive mortals to unimaginable, monstrous actions. The Circle of Dust believes Monsters should rule in all open, and that there should be no need to hide, even if they enjoy the chase of their prey. Obviously, this doesn’t go too well with the traditions.
Invictus
The Invictus, the First Tower, is the most conservative and traditional covenant of vampires. They are the guardians of the Masquerade and achieve their goals through intrigue and long-term strategy. It is very unusual for young Kindred to join the Invictus. The covenant attracts Elders who have already recognised the need for the Masquerade.
Especially younger vampires taking their first steps in the night's world often have difficulties understanding how the strict hierarchical structure of Invictus works. For this reason, members of the Invictus select and prepare their progeny for membership at a very young age. Etiquette and politics, in particular, are focused fields of training for the future progeny.
Order of the Dragon
The Order of the Dragon is the most secretive of the five covenants. It has no goals in politics, in gaining temporary power or in spiritual leadership over the Kindred of a domain. Instead, its goals focus on the transformation of their own vampiric nature to overcome the disadvantages of their condition.
The Dragons achieve their goals mainly through extended studies, which may also include living mortals or other Kindred. At every step of their journey, a Dragon overcomes a tiny part of the limitations of being a Kindred.
So far, no Dragon has succeeded in overcoming all these weaknesses and thus becoming a perfect being. But that doesn't mean they are not working on it with all powers they have access to.
Templars
The Templars are for sure the most fanatic of the Covenants. They are the enforcers of spirituality and are very fanatic about the Dark Father. They are the Guardians of Faith, if the Kindred have such a thing at all. The Templars usually achieve their goals through manipulation or, if that does not help, simple intimidation. The Templars attract those Kindred, who were always on the more fanatic side and like the thought of being special children of a greater, dark god.
While you can find Kindred of all ages within the Templars, most of the Covenant comprises Ancillae. Few Elders decide to stay with the priests once they reach a certain level of political influence. A member of the Templars who selects his progeny will usually choose somebody who has already tendencies in a clerical way of any form or colour.
The Veiled
The Veiled, often called the Tower of Renewal, is the most advanced and apparently most open of the covenants. They gather information about the mortals and other Covenants, then use it to renew and reshape Kindred society. The Veiled, like the Invictus, achieve their goals through intrigue. In addition, they use revolutionary ideas, often drawn from mortal society. The Covenant attracts mainly young, adaptable Ancillae who have not yet become accustomed to the status quo.
Elders find it increasingly difficult to navigate the ever-changing structure of the Covenant, so eventually they withdraw and turn to the Invictus. The Veiled prefer to recruit changeable, adaptable vampires who have powerful skills in espionage or stealth.
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This article was written by the creative and talented Davina and edited for world and game use by Graylion in the Shadow War Across Creation. To see more writing and world building by Davina, visit WIRE.