Ventrue

@Ventrue

Nicknames: The Clan of Kings, Blue Bloods, Patricians, Tycoons

Sect: The absolute heart and leadership of the Camarilla.

Archetypes: CEO, Politician, Investment Banker, Military Officer, Old Money Aristocrat.

Description

The Ventrue are the self-styled rulers of the Kindred, a clan of aristocrats, executives, and warlords who believe it is their right and burden to lead. From the legions of Rome to the boardrooms of today, they have cultivated influence in the highest echelons of mortal society, viewing finance, politics, and industry as mere tools to support their nightly praxis. They are the architects and primary enforcers of the Camarilla and the Masquerade, believing that their rigid traditions are the only things that prevent the world of the damned from descending into chaos. Ambitious, sophisticated, and often ruthless, the Ventrue do not play the game; they are the game.

Known History

The history of the Ventrue is the history of leadership and conquest. They claim descent from kings and emperors, and were the prime movers behind the creation of @The Camarilla in the 15th century. They saw it as their duty to impose order on the chaos of the Anarch Revolt and to protect Kindred society from @The Sabbat. Their long and bitter rivalry with the @Brujah, stemming from the destruction of Carthage, has shaped Kindred politics for millennia and defines their view of leadership: order must be maintained, even at the cost of ideals.

Clan Characteristics

Disciplines: Dominate , Fortitude, Presence

Bane: Rarefied Tastes. The curse of the elite. Each Ventrue can only find sustenance in the blood of a specific, narrow type of mortal (e.g., only artists, only people experiencing fear, only clergy). Feeding from any vessel outside this specific preference provides them with no nourishment, making them dangerously picky eaters.

Compulsion: Arrogance. The vampire is overcome with the need to command. They must issue a direct order to someone in their presence. If met with any hesitation or refusal, they must use whatever means necessary—including their Disciplines—to enforce their authority and ensure the command is obeyed.

Views and Standing

Stereotypes: "Born to rule, or at least they certainly think so." "A Ventrue would rather meet the sun than drink blood from a dirty vessel." "Stuffy, power-hungry tyrants who run the world from the shadows."

In Chicago Tonight: The Ventrue are the ruling clan of Chicago, but their power is dangerously fractured. The clan is split into competing factions:

The New Guard: Led by Prince @Kevin Jackson, a pragmatic and ruthless visionary who rules through a doctrine of "controlled chaos," forcing the city to evolve.

The Old Money: Represented by @Horatio Ballard, childe of the former Prince. He is a powerful rival to Jackson, seeking to control the city through financial debt and traditional influence rather than Jackson's modern methods.

The Ghost of the Past: Hushed rumors and terrified whispers speak of a disfigured, paranoid vampire hiding in the city's underbelly who matches the description of the "slain" former Prince, Lodin (now @Olaf Holte). If this ghost of the past were to be proven real, his survival would shatter the foundations of Jackson's praxis and the entire city's political stability.