Laws and Rules of the Camarilla

(Unless a Kindred is incredibly old, or has a fantastic mentor, do not assume they know the following by heart or in its entirety.)

I. The Founders From this night on the group known as the Founders shall be known as the sect the Camarilla. II. Membership of the Camarilla At present only the Seven Great Clans are part of the sect as a whole, though any individual Kindred of any lineage may become a member. This is subject to change. III. The Seven Great Clans The Seven Great Clans are Clan Ventrue, Clan Toreador, Clan Malkavian, Clan Tremere, Clan Nosferatu, Clan Brujah, and Clan Gangrel. These are the founding Clans, and the elders of these make up the Inner Circle of the Camarilla. IV. The Inner Circle The Inner Circle will meet by Conclave every 13 years at Castle Hardestadt, or by agreement at the previous Conclave the Tower of London, or any other safe place. Thus the years will be 1447, 1460, 1473, 1486, 1499, 1512, and so. V. The Princes The Princes of each domain exist primarily as overseers, to ensure that the Six Traditions are upheld and to settle any disputes that may arise. "Prince" is the common term for these elders of domains, but it is acknowledged that cultural differences in this term occur. VI. The Justicars The Justicars are the Judges of the sect. One is appointed for each of the Seven Great Clans. They serve the Camarilla for a period of 13 years, and re-appointment is made at each Conclave of the Inner Circle. They are ultimately responsible for upholding the laws of the Camarilla, and have higher authority than the Princes. Each time they wish to make judgment upon Kindred, they must call a Conclave. VII. Authority The Inner Circle holds ultimate authority within the Camarilla. VIII. The Conclave A Conclave may be called at any time, but only by a Justicar. Conclaves are meetings where the Six Traditions are interpreted, and disputes between Kindred are resolved. They are open to all, and those who attend are known as the Assembly. IX. The Assembly Members of the Assembly have the right to address the Conclave on any matter if supported by at least two other members of the Conclave. The Justicar serves as the chairperson. X. The Decision Decisions of the Conclave are made by vote. Each member of the Assembly has one vote. Once the decision has been made, it is both the Defender's and Accuser's right to challenge this decision. XI. The Challenge The Defender may be assigned, by the Justicar, an ordeal or trial to test the Defender. Such ordeals may take minutes or years to complete. If not satisfactorily completed, the officiating Justicar may assign any penalty. XII. The Counter-Challenge The Accuser may counter-challenge the Defender to a duel to be fought to the death between the two antagonists. The duel may take any form, but it is usual to assign some penalty to each of the antagonists: such as loss of vision while fighting, or a duel without weapons or disciplines. XIII. The Judgment If no challenge is made, and the Decision requires punishment, it is the duty of the Justicar to pass judgment. This judgment may take any form, and is left to the discretion of the Justicar. Their decisions are encouraged to be harsh, as to deter any future offenders. It is important to remember that the Justicar can only pass judgment in cases where the Defender has transgressed one of the Six Traditions. XIV. Challenging a Justicar The judgment, or action, of a Justicar may only be challenged by another Justicar, or the Inner Circle. A Conclave must be held to resolve the dispute, it is chairpersoned by a member of the Inner Circle. XV. The Archons Justicars may have a coterie of Kindred to assist them in their work. These Kindred are known as Archons, and it is encouraged that they are blood bound to their Justicar-masters. XVI. The Formation of the Prince The Prince is the eldest Kindred of that domain. They may only hold Princedom when there are none who oppose their rule, and when they have the support of the elders of the city: known as the Primogen. Without the elders sanction, the Prince cannot rule. Anyone may make the claim of Princedom, and if there is a challenge the contenders must battle one another until sovereignty is determined. As long as the Six Traditions are not broken, the battle is considered legal and right. The contenders may duel to the death. XVII. The Primogen There is generally one elder for each of the Seven Great Clans who are known as Primogen in a domain, though this is not always the case. XVIII. Elysium and the Pax Vampirica A Prince may declare parts of their domain Elyisum. Such locations are subject to the Pax Vampirica. Firstly no violence of any kind may take place in an Elyisum. Secondly no art may be destroyed. The Pax Vampirica is punishable by Lextalionis. XIX. Punishment The Six Traditions make up the body of the law of the Camarilla. Any Kindred found breaking them must be punished by the Prince of the domain in which the crime is committed. If the Offender disagrees with the Prince's decision, they may appeal to a Justicar. The Prince has three main punishments at hand. The Lextalionis, the Dominatus, and the Exsilium. XX. Lextalionis Those who break any of the Six Traditions must be punished severely. In all cases where the Offender is guilty outright Lextalionis must be called upon them. The Offender is subject to the Blood Hunt, and when caught is slain. Any of the Kindred within the domain may join in the hunt, and the Prince may insist that they do. Any who find the Offender have the right to conduct summary justice upon the outcast. They may also partake of the Offender's blood, though are expressly forbidden to diablerise them. Those who do so will find themselves also under a Blood Hunt. Lextalionis is the only circumstance, except when killing an unreleased childe or the duel, where a Kindred may slay one of their kind. It is to be noted that duels to the death may only be fought when challenging for Princedom, or when called in a Conclave. XXI. Dominatus Where there is doubt in the severity or the act of transgression of any of the Six Traditions, the Prince is able to impose a lesser punishment upon the Offender. The Dominatus requires the Offender to pledge allegiance, and let themselves be Blood Bound, to the Prince. XXII. Exsilium This punishment requires the Offender to be exiled from the domain they committed the crime, never to return: subject to the Prince's future decision. If they return to the domain before they have gained forgiveness, Lextalionis will be immediately called upon them. XXIII. The Six Traditions A vampire living in a prince-ruled city must accept certain responsibilities for the privileges of security and stability. This stability is maintained only when the Kindred within behave in a proper manner, one dictated by a near-universal set of rules. These rules are known by the gentle-sounding name of the Six Traditions, although they are hardly polite suggestions. For Camarilla Kindred, and the Princes who enforce them, they are the law. A vampire may be assured that wherever she travels, the Traditions will be in force. They may be interpreted differently, but they remain. It is through the enforcement of these laws, and through the laws themselves, that Princes receive much of their power. Obviously, then, princes are among the most zealous of the Traditions' enforcers. The Six Traditions that form the laws of vampire society are believed to have been passed down since the wars that slew the Second Generation. They are rarely written down, but they have never been forgotten, and they are known by all Kindred in some form. Even vampires who scorn the Traditions know them; though their specific wordings may vary, the intent behind them never falters. What follows is the most common wording of the Traditions. Bear in mind that this is the phrasing used by elders and on formal occasions. During a childe's presentation to the prince, she may be required to prove both her knowledge and understanding of the Traditions. XXIV. Diablerie The extinguishment of a vampire by drinking their lifeblood, known as Amaranth or diablerie, is one of the most serious crimes. In certain cases it is deemed suitable, because of the torment, for punishment, to be executed by a Prince or Justicar only. This is not allowed if the Offender is of lower generation than the Prince or Justicar. Anyone caught committing the act of Amaranth must have Lextalionis called upon them. Diablerie seriously threatens the stability of the Camarilla and the safety of all Kindred, and its punishment must be enforced ruthlessly. XXV. As Agreed by the Elders of the Inner Circle of the Camarilla on this Night: Charnas of Clan Ventrue, Alealia of Clan Toreador, Mercia Miladera of Clan Malkavian, Etrius of Clan Tremere, Voss of Clan Nosferatu, Claudius d'Bolde of Clan Brujah, Giglamesh of Clan Gangrel.

Type

Text, Legislative