Bloodline: Patrician

One of the oldest vampire bloodlines, is the Patrician Bloodline. Patrician vampires see themselves as the vampire aristocracy. They like to place themselves in positions of power, where they can control situations either directly or through Proxies.
The Patricians are master manipulators and use this to influence vampire society and mortal society. They do this in many ways. Money is a major tool of the Patricians. Not only are they one of the oldest bloodlines, but they have always been long thinkers. The members of the bloodline are some of the wealthiest individuals in the world and they use that wealth to exert influence over the mortal world. They finance the lifestyle of politicians and celebrities, and others who the mortal people look to for leadership. When they can't exert influence through friendly means, they are not above blackmail and coercion to get what they want. They then use this influence to further strengthen their own position, whether it is lucrative business deals, hiding their activities, or just increasing their network of people they have influence over.
The do the same for other vampires. While money isn;t as large a motivator as it is with mortals, it is still a resource that can make a vampire's life easier. Having a place to lie during the day, servants that can go out in the sun, access to amenities that can only be bought with money are all motiviations which can indebt a vampire to a patrician who can provide these things. However, influence is the most common tool a patrician has to control other vampires. Having the police look the other way when something goes wrong is an example of the types of services that can indebt a vampire to the patrician. A patrician collects these debts and calls them in when there are opportunities to increase their own influence.
Another tool at the particians disposal is a power unique to thier bloodline. Most legends talk of vampires being able to control your mind with a stare but for most vampires this is a myth, except for Patricians. Members of this bloodline do have the ability to exert control of lesser minds with just a stare. This power grows with the age ofthe vampire as well. A new vampire of this bloodline may only be able to issue a small command, and it will not last long, while an ancient patrician can completely take over the mind of a weak willed mortal. If strong enough they can even exert this control over other vampires, though it is much harder than that or a mortal human. When money, intimidation, and blackmail all fail, a patrician can can simply use this power to get what he wants.
Using this power comes with social consequences though. While most patrician have servants and bodyguard that they have used their power on to ensure unwavering loyalty, using it to grow your influence too much is seen as a weakness by most member of the bloodline. It is fine for starting out and building a network, but the patrician is expected to shift to other means to achieve their goals. There is even a name for a patrician who uses the power too often, they are called puppeteers, and it is not a term of endearment.

Progeny

Patricians have a tendency to create new vampires from their own families. They cultivate large mortal families that are aware of the patrician's true nature. When a member of the family is old enough and have a few children of their own (In order to keep the mortal line going), and if they are found worthy, the gift of vampirism is offered. If accepted than the mortal is transformed. It is usually a celebrated event in the family. Patricians know that not all of their descendants can be changed as a territory can only support so many vampires, so those not chosen are usually given other position in the family's holding if they want it.
This approach has many benefits. It allows patrician to guide the upbringing of potential members of the bloodline, it allows them to truly choose the best fit for them from a pool of candidates ready for the transformation. It also gives the patrician a strong network of non-vampires that are extremely loyal. It also almost always ensures a that their progeny is grateful for the gift of vampirism and that they will be a loyal vassal.

Preferred Prey

Most Patricians don't hunt out prey as other vampires do. Instead, they cultivate a group of mortals that are willing to be fed upon, usually from their mortal family. Patricians prefer the taste of mortals who have willingly given themselves to the vampire. The control that they relinquish and submission to the vampire is extremely sustaining to the patrician. If they cannot feed from a member of their flock, then they will usually use their power to make their prey more subservient. They can also use their power to make the victim forget what happened. They rarely kill their prey, even when hunting out in the wild. To them it makes no sense to remove potential sources of food or to risk discovery.

Structure

Age is the major factor in determining the hierarchy of the bloodline. Unlike other bloodlines, the Patricians have a very organized structure. There is an elder council that makes the decisions for most of the members. The council seats experience elders of the bloodline, but that is not the only factor that determines council membership. A younger vampire may impress the elders enough to be offered a seat on the council ahead of other older vampires. In addition, the Patricians have learned over the years that they must change with the times. Not all vampires are able to do that, and since they do not grow older or die, it would be easy for an elder Patrician to make decisions based on the nature of the world from hundreds of year ago. Due to this, the council can also retire members, if they are too unadaptable. The council then assigns territories to patricians. The patrician is expected to lead their region and exert control. Patricians see themselves as leaders of the vampire community and in many cases, they are, as they are truly the most equipped to handle the position. Not all territories are quick to accept the leadership a patrician offers though, and in those cases the patrician is expected to find a way to remove any opposing factions or individuals, violently if necessary. A leader of a territory is called Lord by the council, and any members of the bloodline in the same territory are called vassals. The lord has the right to demand assistance from any vassal in his territory. A lord can even call upon neighboring Lords for assistance if things get difficult. This can be dangerous though, as the hierarchy favors the eldest Lord when there is conflict between the two, and asking for help from an elder Lord may lead to that Lord taking over the territory of the younger.

Patrician Vampires in New Orleans

The Patrician bloodline has a strong presence in New Orleans. Second only to the Avant Garde in number but first in influence and power. Led by Lawrence Clark the patrician have a strong grasp on the power structure of the city by control of its media. Lawrence himself owns several newspapers and local stations and gets to decide what goes on air. He controls the narrative around the city, and can use that to hide the communities’ actions, or make them public, which terrifies most of the supernatural community. A well-placed news story could have people with cell phones cameras and social media accounts knocking on doors that could be dangerous. They also haven't discounted new media either, and several newer patricians are looking at social media influence to help cement the information market. Unfortunately, the Avant Garde Vampire seem to understand that media much better and it is a competition on which bloodline is more influential.
Patricians of New Orleans also use some very old tactics, pumping money in real estate and business which furthers their influence all over the city. They have recently been working on investing in some of places that are still recovering from Katrina and building their portfolio as well as building good reputations for their agents in the city.
Another path to influence that is unique to the Big Easy is the Krewes of New Orleans. These group have a lot more influence in the city than outsiders would think, and there is a lot of money that goes to these organizations. This is another area where the patricians often fall short of the Avant Gardes though.

Playing a Patrician Vampire

Players wanting to join this powerful bloodline that are native to New Orleans should probably consider playing as a member of one of the great family's that make up the bloodline. The Clarks or the Lacroix. These are the two major families that have Patrician Vampires as their Patriarchs. Additionally, you could be from outside the city and been sent here to support the Lawrence and solidifying his hold on the city, especially with the rising power of the Avant Garde and the trouble with some of the practitioners.
Patricians have Vampire Form and Influence Mind as powers.