Societies & Orders

Court of Many Colors

Key Club

Knights of the Blood

Knights of the Crimson Scepter

Order of the Crescent Moon

Order of the Hawk Royal

Order of the White Cross

Society of the Hague

Sorority of Amastris

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The Court of Many Colors

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Ventrue who excel in diplomacy may be admitted into a small circle that is known as the Court of Many Colors; the colors being representative of strategic alliances and friendships with particular clans. Admittance to the court is conferred by the eldest or highest ranking Ventrue in the domain at the request of an existing member of the Court. In modern nights, standards for admittance have grown rather lax. Clan Friendship (as per the merit) is often sufficient for admittance. However, being liked by one or two local clan members or holding a trait or two of out-of-clan prestige is considered insufficient. Ventrue candidates must have made *significantly, *lasting* inroads with the clan in question, sufficient to withstand the rigors of time. Because of this, members of the Court are in great demand; a resource used by the entire clan. In times of crisis, a few honeyed words from an ambassador of the Court are sufficient to spare the unlife of a clanmate or avoid hostilities; facts that these ambassadors are only too willing to smugly point out given the opportunity.

With the Anarch Revolt and the formation of the Camarilla, friendships with Tzimisce, Lasombra, and the Independents are no longer publicly claimed by members of the Court. With the prohibition by the Justicariate from having dealings with other super naturals, colors and gemstones allocated for diplomacy with the other supernatural races are also not publicly claimed.

There is no color, award, or gemstone for friendship with the Brujah. While it may be advantageous on a case-by-case basis, the smoldering resentment from Carthage and other atrocities colors even this mundane detail of the Ventrue's nightly affairs.

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The Key Club

The Key Club is one of the most private of the secret societies of Clan. Entirely male, its membership is small but united in a common purpose. Members keep an almost inconspicuous length of silk or hemp tied to their key chains with a number of knots along its length. Knots are added for seduction and conquest of female Kindred. Nosferatu do not count at all, nor does copulation compelled by force or domination, though Toreador count as double.

The Key Club is a modern invention coinciding with the fall of chivalry and rise of feminism which members have interpreted as an affront to their power. The name derives from the brief fad of "key parties" in the 1970’s when married couples would place key chains in a bowl at parties and select random partners to go home with at the end of the evening. For Key Club members sex is just another form of dominance and conquest a diversion to keep the centuries at bay. No Kindred outside the club is aware of its existence or the significance of the marker. The risk of discovery and scandal is part of the allure for Key Club members.

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The Knights of the Blood

Listserv: Knights_of_the_Blood@yahoogroups.com

In years before the Camarilla, during the Dark Ages, the Knights of the Blood were the Militant Arm of the Ventrue. When Ventrue needed help in their given area they could request aid from the order. More commonly, an Elder would notice Ventrue of an area being lax in their duty they would send the Knights in to solve the problem. The Knights were known for their brutality in enforcing the will of the Clan, much to the displeasure of the people they normally helped.

The Knights of the Blood are slowly being reborn once more in the Final Nights. While still maintaining their Militant skills, they have begun using them once more to enforce the will of the Clan and to a lesser extent, the Camarilla. Knights do not wait for the fight to come to them, instead preferring to carry it to the enemies of the Clan, wherever they may be.

Renowned and Feared for their utter brutality, most Kindred with high humanity find the methods of this order extreme and disturbing. The Knights tend to forgo formal tribunals, instead acting as judge, jury, and executioner when the situation calls for it. They tend not follow standard protocol or decorum but few dare to speak out against their actions directly. It is for these reasons they are hated and feared, except when the need for them arises.

They follow a strict "For the benefit of the Clan" ideology. Zealots one and all, many believe themselves to be superior to those outside the Order. Some of the order's Elders still harbor a special dislike for the Knights of the Crimson Scepter, viewing them as pretenders to a role that they haven't earned. The order tends not to answer to local authority in any manner. They handle their own problems internally; there are no former Knights.

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The Knights of the Crimson Scepter

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The Knights of the Crimson Scepter are one of the youngest organizations within the Ventrue. Membership is considered ambitious, daring, dangerous or scandalous depending on the Kindred's reputation and location. Elders often view the Knights as upstarts attempting to emulate the much older Knights of the Blood.

The Crimson Scepter was created by order of Lady Anne and the Royal Directorate in the Victorian era. It emulates the creation of the British Secret Service and the royal spies of Sir Walter Raleigh, 150 years prior. Much of its legitimacy is drawn from its rather loose ties to the medieval Knights of the Blood and the two organizations have a history of one-upmanship and rivalry.

Officially the Crimson Scepter gathers intelligence about the enemies of the Camarilla and Clan Ventrue, they follow the movements of the Sabbat with great interest. Unofficially, and more often, the Crimson Scepter guards the elders of the clan against the Sabbat and looks for signs of the Secret Masters. They compile extensive dossiers on Ventrue and check them against the records in London. They are the eyes and ears of the Directorates, watching and removing those who threaten the clan. They operate by stealth, political machination and deception. Many ambitious Ventrue view this as the first step to becoming an Alastor.

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The Order of the Crescent Moon

"Gustave assigned many Kindred (generally those he suspected of some kind of treachery) the dubious honor of hunting down and killing the Lupines. By 1786, most of the Lupines had been driven away, and those stayed were mercilessly destroyed. Many Lupine pelts adorn the havens of Berlin Ventrue Elders." (From Berlin by Night, pg. 15)

Because of the outrage that this could cause among Kindred and Lupines, this Order is considered private and those who belong to it do not boast in mixed company. Proof of eligible membership is a Lupine pelt, acquired from the original Lupine by the Ventrue's own hand. The award is displayed as a red garter worn on the right arm secured with a silver crescent moon pin. Additional acquisitions may be marked with clusters of rubies to indicate greater achievement. When questioned, Ventrue who display the mark of the Order merely smile.

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The Order of the Hawk Royal

Listserv: hawkroyal@yahoogroups.com

The Order of the Hawk Royal forms the elite of Clan Ventrue's social society; those who know what is and is not done. Fully au fait with correct form and behavior, they embody the civilized and courtly demeanor that Ventrue value as both a mark of distinction and a social safety mechanism, and scorn the genteel behavior of those unfortunates who mistake petty rules and grandiosity for good breeding and taste.

Members of the Order are acknowledged as authorities on Right Behavior, and some luminaries are even accepted as arbiters when disputes regarding Dignitas arise. Many members also hold the title of Proctor as well as their Membership. Those who aspire to the ranks of the Hawk Royal face a long and often torturous climb up the social ladder. As the name of the Order suggests, the Lords and Ladies watch their contemporaries like hawks, alert for the slightest misdemeanor that may be held up to the light or filed away for later.

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The Order of the White Cross

No description available

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The Society of the Hague

Listserv: Hague@yahoogroups.com

The memberships of the Society of The Hague have distinguished themselves as outstanding lawyers in a clan that is noted for its knowledge of the legal world. Each member of the Society of The Hague has mastered both the laws of the mortal world and the interpretations of the laws within the Camarilla. Members are inducted into the Society at the discretion of the existing Society members. All one needs to do is apply and wait for approval. Approval is never denied, merely "under review", though the review can last for centuries if necessary.

Membership entitles one to use the title "The Right Honorable" before their name and guarantees a steady stream of clients that can range from accused Kindred hauled before the Prince to Princes seeking counsel at Conclave to Primogen drafting new policies, etc. Members of the Society of The Hague are by tradition forbidden to charge fellow Ventrue for their services. However, Society members are welcome, and encouraged, to extract whatever fee their services command when dealing with other clans. Ventrue who are legal experts, but eschew membership in the Society, may petition for Endorsement from the Society. An unofficial bar exam is administrated to these Ventrue lawyers and those who pass are entitled to add the term "Esquire" to their list of titles. Those who choose to go this route are not required to give free representation to Ventrue, earning them the unofficial title of "Mercenary".

The Hague is a public society. The public nature of the Society helps support the notion that the Ventrue are the keepers of the law and what is proper. Similarly if there is a question by anyone of any clan as to how things should be done, they seek out a Ventrue and if possible a member of The Hague for an answer.

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The Sorority of Amastris

Listserv: The_Sorority_of_Amastris@yahoogroups.com

In recent nights, women have risen to prominence within the clan, proving themselves to be the equals of their male clan mates in many arenas, often working twice as hard to achieve that status. The Sorority of Amastris inducts Ventrue women who have proven their worth in leadership. Founded by and admitting only women, the men of the clan do not take it seriously, dismissing it as a progressive "fad" inspired by the women's liberation movement and unlikely to last. The women, who have been inducted, of course see it differently. Criteria for membership is not set in stone, but invitations rarely go out to anyone who has not served in a Camarilla office or achieved local Directorate ranking above Eiren. (Amastris, wife of Dionysus of Heracluria, established her own city state by conquering and uniting four settlements.)

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