Update for 10/05/2004

The Lancea Sanctum
Today's update is our largest yet revealing 8 pages of the Lancea Sanctum section of Coteries. You can get it from our downloads section.

Update for 9/29/2004

Blood Witness
(• Crúac Ritual)
With the presence and power of her own Vitae, a ritualist can observe what happens in the vicinity of blood she leaves behind during the performance of this ritual. The performer must spend the standard one Vitae to complete the ritual, plus another Vitae (or possibly more) to bear witness at the site to be watched. The Vitae left behind must come from the performer, whether it’s vomited up, spilled from the wrists or via some other means. The blood may be dribbled on a floor, soaked into a rug, painted onto a wall or otherwise applied as the performer sees fit. However the blood is left behind, it remains as detectable as any ordinary blood. If it’s scrubbed away, the power of this ritual is broken.

For one full night per Vitae spent, the character invoking the ritual gains the ability to witness events at the location as though she were present and standing in whatever spot she had marked with her Vitae. If the character creates a trail of blood around a room, for example, she may later observe the room from any point on that “circuit.” Because the seer isn’t actually present at the location, she may even observe events that occur during the day — the images come to her in an achingly vivid dream while she sleeps. Some Acolytes use this ritual just to gain a glimpse of their own gardens in the sunshine. Seers are still subject to the Rötschreck, however, as the Beast panics in the light of the sun. Observers who succumb to the fear frenzy do not actually lose control of themselves, but do lose their connection to the Vitae they’ve used in this ritual. While the seer is watching through her blood connection, she is unable to see or hear through her own body.

The boundaries of this power are limited. Only one arcane connection can be employed by any single character at one time, even if multiple Vitae are spent on that connection. Multiple Vitae can be used to widen the area of observance, at one Vitae per room included. Vitae may be deposited in a vehicle, so the observer becomes a clairvoyant passenger. If the distance between the character and the Vitae exceeds 10 times the sorcerer’s Blood Potency in miles, the mystic connection breaks.

The observer’s perception is limited through the mystical connection, but not by physical barriers the character can see around. If a rug is laid down over the blood she leaves behind, she sees as if she stood on that rug. If a door is closed between her Vitae and another room, she doesn’t gain any power to see through it, but may hear sounds that come through it. Her powers of perception depend on her supernatural prowess. The number of successes on the Crúac roll becomes the number of successes she scores on all attempted actions to perceive the world through her arcane connection (such as Wits + Composure or Wits + a certain Skill; see p. 46 of the World of Darkness rulebook for details). The testimony of the blood witness is affected by environmental impediments like darkness and smoke just as ordinary vision is affected. No other Disciplines may be used through the blood connection, so a character may not employ Heightened Senses, for example.

Update for 9/24/2004

Concerning Coteries and The Ordo Dracul

A vampire’s motivation for seeking out and joining the Ordo Dracul isn’t usually as simple as wishing to learn the Coils of the Dragon. This power is often a factor, of course, but the covenant attracts seekers of truth and possibility as well as seekers of eldritch power, Kindred who wish to experience the totality of the Requiem, not just the simple acts of consuming blood and binding mortals to their wills. Finding a mentor is the first step, but the Dragons don’t normally make themselves readily available, as this would be suicide. A would-be member of the Order has a much better chance of joining the covenant if she first joins a coterie of like-minded Kindred.

Psychology

Dragons come together to form coteries for a variety of reasons, but the impetus for these groups forming is usually academic. Members of the Ordo Dracul studying under the same mentor, or under several mentors who correspond with each other, might begin practicing their arcane arts together in order to benefit from several teachers’ wisdom simultaneously. Likewise, a Dragon who loses her mentor, because either the mentor meets Final Death or the teacher-student relationship simply goes sour, might cast about for instruction and find others of her covenant.

Not all coteries of the Order form in such benign circumstances, though. In cities where the Lancea Sanctum holds sway, members of the Ordo Dracul might be declared anathema or persona non grata, depending on the zeal of the Sanctified regime. The problem is that the Ordo Dracul and the Lancea Sanctum find many of the same cities desirable. (In particular, southern Louisiana and the Cajun and voodoo culture therein intrigue many Dragons, even though New Orleans is a Sanctified stronghold.) But the Lancea Sanctum is not the only covenant with which the Ordo Dracul must practice careful diplomacy. Any covenant in power looks askance at others infringing on its territory. Therefore, Dragons in cities claimed by other covenants often form into coteries dedicated to public relations, negotiation, manipulation and, if all else fails, war.

Blood Covens

The following are six of the most common types of coteries one is likely to find among the Dragons. Please note that not all Ordo Dracul coteries fall strictly into one of these categories. A given group of vampires might incorporate aspects of any or all of them. A coterie made up entirely of Dragons is often referred to as a “Blood Coven” within the covenant.

Update for 9/22/2004

This excerpt taken from the into outlines the contents of the book:

This book is part toolbox and part source material. The various chapters provide information on how the concept of a coterie functions within a given covenant or, in the case of the first chapter, how it functions with members from more than one covenant or with members drawn from a single clan. For Storytellers, this information can help both in the creation of coteries composed of Storyteller characters, as well as how to keep a coterie together when the chronicle has started (and challenge the unity of the coterie during each story). In addition, Storytellers can find advice on how to create plausible scenarios for multi-covenant and single-clan coteries.

For players and Storytellers, this book gives ideas on how to build a coterie that will serve as a strong anchor for a chronicle. At the very least, it should provide options and considerations for play beyond the desire to betray one’s fellows for short-term, immediate gain. Think of it as a discussion on how to portray the social dynamics of a group of Kindred. Players might also be inspired by the source material presented on the various capsule ideas when creating their characters and/or coterie from the ground up.

The Prelude offers a look at the Requiem for a young coterie and shows what can be accomplished as a group. In addition, the Introduction lays out the mood and theme of the book as well as offering a few general words of guidance.

Chapter One: Cosmopolitan Coteries mixes it all up. While the following chapters focus on coteries comprising members of the same covenant, this chapter explores the possibilities and problems facing a coterie that draws members from multiple covenants, as well as the possibilities inherent in coteries based around a single clan.

Chapter Two: The Ordo Dracul deals with the coteries formed by the followers of dread Dracula, the practitioners of the eldritch Coils of the Dragon. It includes details on occult societies, bizarre duties of the Dragons and beyond.

Chapter Three: The Carthian Movement focuses on the youngest covenant to interpret the coterie concept. It offers information about the various groups of philosophers, intellectuals and political rabble-rousers that espouse “new thinking” among the undead.

Chapter Four: The Circle of the Crone gives you information about the various coteries that make up the most spiritual and most religiously unorthodox of the covenants, as well as a few of their rituals.

Chapter Five: The Invictus provides a close look at the neofeudalism of this covenant and examines the groups formed under its monolithic structure. Specifically addressed is how coteries relate to the convoluted power structure of the First Estate.

Chapter Six: The Lancea Sanctum gives you information and ideas about individual groups of Sanctified, from die-hard fundamentalists to more moderate groups, as well as the spiritual functions that bind the coteries.

Update from 9/18/2004

Vampires are social creatures. They hunt by moving largely unseen through mortal society and picking their prey at leisure. But they also build societies and relationships of their own. The bonds of sire and childe, the common ground of covenant, even shared respect (or hatred) for the Prince, all form bonds that provide some truth to the term “Kindred.” The smallest and most personal of all these social units is the subject of November’s Coteries, the first supplement for Vampire: The Requiem. And rightly so. These are the individuals with which a Kindred chooses to make common cause and, perhaps, to share eternity.

Each coterie is unique, an assortment of individual Kindred who have decided to make common cause. Nevertheless, three broad categories exist that can help you (as a player or Storyteller) decide how to build your coterie.

• The Covenant-Based Coterie: Covenants provide underpinnings of belief and understanding, and so, shared allegiance forms the basis for many coteries. In cities with a significant membership of the covenant in question, an individual coterie is likely to specialize. This might be as defenders or enforcers of an elder in power (for an Invictus covenant), protectors of mystical secrets (for the Circle of the Crone or Ordo Dracul) or preachers and inquisitors (for the Lancea Sanctum). In cities where a covenant is in the minority, a coterie of its members might well encompass all or most of its members. In that case, the line between covenant and coterie can blur. The coterie can even become a hidden web of influence and favors that allows them to play kingmakers (or Prince-makers). The Invictus of New Orleans have long operated in such a fashion, for example.

• The Cosmopolitan Coterie: Perhaps a touch rarer than the covenant-based coterie, the cosmopolitan coterie is the most likely to come up in play. Indeed, most player troupes will want to portray Kindred from a variety of covenants and clans. These mixed coteries are based on personal bonds between Kindred more than on shared philosophy or service to an elder. A cosmopolitan coterie founded on the common experiences of neonates can grow into a powerful center of influence as the Kindred involved grow older and more potent. That same growth can fracture the coterie, however. To be sure, as the members become more established in their own circles, the bonds they once shared may break down. Many a bitter rivalry can trace its roots to a fractured coterie.

• The Single-Clan Coterie: Because individuals choose their covenant and coterie, clan-centered coteries are rarer than the other types. Sometimes, however, vampires Embrace broods or trust only in the sense of community engendered by the Blood. These single-clan coteries are more diverse than one might at first imagine. Obviously, what clan we’re talking about is a primary concern, as an all-Mekhet coterie of information-gatherers will no doubt differ significantly from an all-Nosferatu one. Another important concern is the actual relationship of those clan members — a single lineage from one sire has a different dynamic than a gathering of vampires of a single clan but with different sires. And of course, simple relationship by Blood doesn’t guarantee trust by any means. A powerful sire can keep a brood-like coterie together for a while by sheer will, but any other single-clan coterie will need other reasons to stay together.

Coteries, a 128-page hardcover, releases in November.