Austin/Requiem CofD

VSS: Congress of the Damned Reference Document: VSS History and NPCs

Austin Requiem Basics

 * Mood: Power is a Curse
 * Themes:
 * Kindred are ruled by and through the Blood
 * Existence is Pain
 * Progress requires bold Action

Population Notes

 * Clan Population Document
 * The Circle and the Gangrel have no representation in the Governor’s regime.
 * The Invictus has ruled Austin since it existed.
 * Governor Basil Gray rules the city by virtue of his regime’s efficiency, and by cowing his rivals or- much more rarely- destroying their willingness to stand against him, with very few exceptions.
 * The Invictus oversees more Domain than any other covenant in the city, and all major court positions are filled by their members.
 * The Circle of the Crone has no “recognized” Domain, representation, or city Status.
 * Gabrielle duParc (the de facto leader of the Circle in the area around Austin) disputes Basil’s claim over the city, and always has.
 * The Circle is widely believed to have been driven from the city entirely.
 * Anyone who openly claims Circle Status is disallowed from owning any Domain in the city or any city Status.
 * The Gangrel have no representation.
 * While Gangrel do exist within the city, they have no formal representation as a clan, and most claim nominal status in covenants other than the Circle.
 * The covenants are the dominant political force in the city.
 * All Domain is parceled out on a covenant basis, and the covenants are expected to police their own Domain. The only exception to this is the Domain overseen by Regent Santiago Muñoz, who is unaligned.
 * Initially, ST plot will focus on covenant politics at first. Clan plot is encouraged to be driven by players. Players are encouraged to see the covenants as the effective mechanism for political power.

Officers:

 * Governor:Basil Gray, Invictus Ventrue
 * Herald: Cybelle Gray, Invictus Ventrue
 * Sheriff: Sir Kent Marshall, Invictus Daeva
 * Harpy: Georges Weisshaupt, Invictus Mekhet

The Camera Obscura:
An advisory body with an upper and a lower chamber.
 * The Upper Camera is comprised of the heads of each covenant, save the Circle.
 * Invictus: Cybelle Gray, Ordo Dracul: Maharet, Carthian Movement: Abner Wilson, Lancea et Sanctum: Bishop Rafael Serrano.
 * The Lower Camera is comprised of representatives of each clan, save Gangrel.
 * Ventrue: Basil Gray, Daeva: Santiago Muñoz, Mekhet: Vicente Castillo, Nosferatu: Penny LaCôte.

The Invictus

 * The ruling Covenant. They control more Domain and more Vassals and Tenants than any other covenant, and it shows.
 * The Invictus are most concerned with keeping the city running smoothly and profitably, both for Kindred and Kine. They espouse an ultra-capitalist mindset.
 * All major court positions are held by the Invictus, and most levers of power in Kindred society are in their hands.

The Ordo Dracul

 * A not so distant second. They wield considerable political power, due in no small part to their cozy- if inscrutable- relationship with the Invictus.
 * The Ordo wants to conserve and cultivate their autonomy. They’ve managed to consolidate several powerful Wyrm’s Nests, and while they want more, they generally take the long game view as a strategy to acquiring more Nests.

The Carthian Movement

 * A fixture in the court of Austin. The Carthians in Austin share many of the Invictus ideals: profit, efficiency, and meritocracy.
 * The Carthians wish to continue cultivating Austin into a city that is a beacon for the Kine. Though individual Carthians differ on how best to accomplish this aim, they agree on one thing: a healthy and prosperous herd ensures that the Kindred of the city have the space for debate and growth, which are the best ways to perfect Kindred society.

The Lancea et Sanctum

 * An uneasy place in Austin’s political landscape. The Lancea preserves its place in the city by strength of numbers and by not openly antagonizing the stronger covenants.
 * The Lancea believe that the Kindred of Austin have forgotten their divinely ordained purpose: to serve as a cautionary tale to the Kine rather than an aspirational one. They use their gifts to remind the Kine of what they may very well become, while reminding the Kindred of their excesses in straying from God’s path.

The Circle of the Crone

 * Pariahs unaccepted by the Austin regime. The Circle has been all but driven from Austin proper, and this is by the Governor’s design. The Circle occupy lands outside of the area recognized by the Governor, and they enjoy no privileges within his city.
 * They embrace the Beast, which is viewed as undesirable at best and anathema at worst by the regime. They are viewed as dangerous radicals with no concern regarding the Masquerade or the city’s prosperity. The Circle views this outlook as fascist oppression, and see themselves as advocates of Kindred individualism.

Local Peculiarities

 * Covenant relations in this VSS are a bit different than normal.
 * Clan plot will be player generated at game start.
 * The Circle of the Crone and- to a lesser extent- clan Gangrel and the Lancea et Sanctum are starting the game in antagonistic positions, to a varying extents.
 * Dots in the Feeding Grounds merit will be capped by dots in Domain. This refers to your dots as a Vassal or the dots in Feeding Grounds that you’re given by your overlord.
 * Members of the Circle exist outside of Austin’s Domain structure, which means that their dots are less contingent on having an overlord, but also that they are essentially operating in lawless territory. The Circle’s territory does still have a Domain rating, and thus a maximum rating in dots of Feeding Grounds.