Template:Camarilla/Status

Status in the Camarilla

Overview

The Camarilla is a gerontocracy, stacked in the favor of Elders. Nothing is for free and boons are a currency integral to buying one another's loyalty, which cannot be otherwise guaranteed. The veiled threats and double-talk arise from the environment that Elysium creates where it is disgraceful to insult or contradict others openly, the backstabbing arises from being unable to actually have face-to-face conflict in front of others.

As you familiarize yourself with the Camarilla Status system, please be aware that you will find it is unfair, especially if you are playing a Neonate or Fledgling: the systems reward Elders for no other reason than being old, and they can discriminate against the younger members easily. This unfair system is deliberate and part of the setting. It's a source of conflict to drive characters towards retaliating due to unfair treatment, whether that's through subtle string pulling, or straight up kicking an elder's shit in.

However, IC conflict and corruption cannot be fun without a strong foundation of OOC trust. The IC system being unfair is not an excuse to treating other players poorly. Players who use the Status System in bad faith OOCly will not be allowed to use it if they abuse it. If you feel OOCly punished, or you don't know how to get your character into a better situation (or get even with the asshole who punshed you ICly), then reach out to staff so that we can help you.

Offices

Elysium is simply not Elysium if its sanctity is not honored. After all, it's more than just a meeting space, it's a meeting space with a staunchly upheld tradition of proper etiquette. The Keeper has the authority to defy even the Prince (if she has the gall) to uphold Elysium.

IC Requirements

The Keeper is expected to ...

• Hold Camarilla and Anarch characters accountable if they insult other characters of station/status within Elysium,
• Hold Camarilla and Anarch characters accountable if they frenzy, cause frenzy, use any disciplines, bring weapons, or cause physical injury in Elysium.

As the Keeper of Elysium has the duty of making sure the traditions of Elysium are upheld, they may enforce them themselves or may call on the Sheriff or Deputies to do so on their behalf. So long as it’s in the name of maintaining order in Elysium, a Keeper may issue commands to ghouls and fledglings (such as ordering someone to cease a disruptive activity). Keepers may permanently confiscate weapons from Vampires who bring them into Elysium. Vampires should not be bringing weapons to Elysium in the first place, no matter who they are.

Your character needs to be a Neonate, Ancilla or Elder and you must have been playing for 3+ months (so we know you are invested in the game).

OOC Requirements

Attend Court: You should be able to attend court scenes. These scenes are scheduled ahead of time, so if the time and date is not going to work for you please speak up to have this fixed. If you miss one or two, that’s fine, but if you habitually can’t make it, we will find a new Keeper.

OOC Grace: Your character’s responsibilities include enforcing Elysium. That might look like kicking a particularly rambunctious character out of Elysium, ordering someone around, or roping in the Sheriff to put some muscle behind your IC will to be obeyed. Even though this is probably going to happen rarely, it needs to happen with OOC grace. You need to be someone who is willing and capable to OOCly reach out to people proactively and preemptively to tell them, “Hey, I’m about to do XYZ to your character, it’s all IC” and touch base with them afterwards.

The Elysium

The St. Francis Yacht Club hosts the Elysium. The Yacht Club itself is open to the public, but there is a lounge for special members. This lounge can be accessed through a service entrance in the back (for those who don't seem to fit the bill of the well-dressed elite) as well as by going through the yacht club proper.

The Elysium (the official one) is a single, NPC-owned location and always will be. Attaching an Elysium to a player character leaves the sphere open to being bogged down if that character stops attending the game or loses their IC position and triggers an IC reshuffling of their property. Keeping Elysium NPC owned avoids the complications in the event a Keeper is replaced.

Players may submit their own IC builds as places to hang out as an (unofficial) Elysium and expect it to be a safe place. Characters are welcome to enforce the tradition of Elysium within their own Domains (no powers, no hostility, etc) and have their builds counted as official sect hangouts. Those places just won’t be “The” Elysium.

Status System

The Keeper of Elysium is considered both an Enforcer and a Guardian. An Enforcer has the authority to enforce their society's laws and to ensure punishment for those who break the codes of their sect or defy the will of the local authority. An Enforcer may deputize other characters, granting them the Abiding status trait Defender for a single night. Once a month, an Enforcer can issue the negative status Warned to an individual who has broken a sect law (relevant to their title: Keepers of Elysium may punish defilers of Elysium, Harpies may punish someone who has been proven to have broken a legitimate boon).

In the Camarilla, the Keeper Of Elysium, the Harpy, Sheriff and Scourge are considered Enforcers. Among the Anarchs, the Constable and Architect are Enforcers. The Enforcers of the Sabbat are the Bishop and the Templar.

A Guardian is tasked with upholding important customs of the Camarilla: either the physical champion of Elysium or the social conscience of the Kindred court. To do so, a Guardian can enforce lawful behavior within their jurisdiction by granting Warned to those who do not respect sect law and they may do so at will. Once a month, a Guardian may also award someone the negative status Disgraced for serious infractions.

Because the Keeper of Elysium possesses the traits Enforcer and Guardian, the Keeper can administer "Warned" and "Disgraced" to characters once a month (each). This negative status can be given to Camarilla and Anarch characters to represent the Camarilla holding the Anarhcs as subservient. Please check the pages for each negative Status title to double check that your Status expenditure is appropriate.

Ranks

Ancilla

• Pre-requisites: Active for at least 50 years.
• How To Become Ancilla: Be 50 years undead.

A Confirmed vampire is a vetted member of the sect. These vampires are given more credibility and respect than those who are new or untested. A Confirmed vampire may approach any sect official at will without incurring any social penalty. Those who are not confirmed (neonates) must petition an audience through their primogen or wait until the vampire they wish to meet with holds an audience. Once a month, a Confirmed vampire can issue orders to any mortal beholden to the sect (e.g. a ghoul). Those orders may not contradict with their domitor's orders and may not be against their domitor's best interest. If the ghoul refuses, the Confirmed vampire has the authority to have the mortal punished without reprisal.

Note: The point of Confirmed characters being able to treat ghouls like 2nd class citizens is for genre purposes. You are welcome to boss around staff NPC ghouls and have them punished in ways as severe as you like, including calling for their death. You can do this without asking for permission so long as it is a staff NPC ghoul and makes narrative sense. However, that only applies to staff NPC ghouls. Ask first in all other cases, as Confirmed is not an excuse to bully other players. Bully other players and lose your vampire character.

Elder

• Pre-requisites: Active for at least 300 years.
• How To Become Elder: Be 300+ years undead, Generation 4 or 5.

A Confirmed vampire is a vetted member of the sect. These vampires are given more credibility and respect than those who are new or untested. A Confirmed vampire may approach any sect official at will without incurring any social penalty. Those who are not confirmed (neonates) must petition an audience through their primogen or wait until the vampire they wish to meet with holds an audience. Once a month, a Confirmed vampire can issue orders to any mortal beholden to the sect (e.g. a ghoul). Those orders may not contradict with their domitor's orders and may not be against their domitor's best interest. If the ghoul refuses, the Confirmed vampire has the authority to have the mortal punished without reprisal.

Note: The point of Confirmed characters being able to treat ghouls like 2nd class citizens is for genre purposes. You are welcome to boss around staff NPC ghouls and have them punished in ways as severe as you like, including calling for their death. You can do this without asking for permission so long as it is a staff NPC ghoul and makes narrative sense. However, that only applies to staff NPC ghouls. Ask first in all other cases, as Confirmed is not an excuse to bully other players. Bully other players and lose your vampire character.

An Established vampire is a voice of a faction within the sect whose word is to be respected. An Established vampire may, at will, issue Warned to any character who publicly insults, threatens, or attacks them. Offenses made entirely in private or which are not blatant do not qualify. If the person who insults you openly is the Prince, Seneschal (abiding as Prince), or has the Triumphant status trait, you have to take your lumps: they've earned their ability to call you a dingus. Once a month, an Established vampire can award the fleeting status Favored.

A Privileged vampire is a venerated member of the sect who is owed respect. Those who are Privileged cannot be openly accused of lying, except for by a certain list of people in authority. That does not mean other characters must believe what you say, only that they cannot publicly challenge its veracity. A Privileged character may, once a month, give someone the Vulgar negative status trait for whatever offense they have perceived, such as for accusing them of lying!

Those who can accuse a Privileged character of lying include fellow 'Privileged' characters, as well as those with 'Authority', or the 'Triumphant' status. That translates into Elders and the Sheriff (Privileged characters), the Baron, Archbishop, Prince and the Seneschal (Authority characters), and anybody who has earned the Triumphant status, which does not require a title.