Camarilla

The Camarilla is not merely a sect — it is a system of containment. It exists to preserve two things: the Masquerade and the Hierarchy that enforces it. Its cities operate like monarchies hidden within oligarchies: princes rule by decree, seneschals administrate, sheriffs enforce, and harpies whisper. The Camarilla survives not through secrecy alone, but through control of information, economy, and belief.

Every domain that swears loyalty to the Ivory Tower contributes to the Mask of Order — a global illusion that vampires are extinct myths. Since the rise of the Second Inquisition, many elders have fled or vanished under the Beckoning, leaving neonates to enforce rules written by ghosts.

Play Principles

• Secrecy is Survival. Masquerade breaches trigger Pressure Clock advances for the entire city, not just the actor.

• The Chain of Command. Every Kindred owes fealty to someone. Disobedience stains Humanity and raises the “Court Pressure Clock.”

• Boons and Bureaucracy. All favors are written debts. The Boon Ledger is both currency and blackmail.

• Faith of the Ivory Tower. Elders encourage “civil religion” — worship of the Camarilla itself as salvation.