Some vampires accuse us of being stuck up, conservatively dressed (and minded) control freaks, caring only for the advancement of our own personal empires to the detriment of the rest of Kindred Society. To this I say, “Wow, how did you know?” But seriously (see I made a joke) being Ventrue is about being one of the ruling caste, one of those who have been chosen to lead (or in some cases to follow, but we won’t go into that now).

We are the bluebloods, the nobility – if you will –of the Camarilla. And yes we are out to increase our own personal empires, but not at the expense of the rest of Kindred Society. I ask you – who pays most of the upkeep of your city’s Elysium? Who normally pays for any expenses out of town guests may suddenly have? Who are the ones who normally take care of rewriting mortal mans memories when there has been a small “incident”? The Ventrue, that’s who. Us, the conservative old fuddy duddies who the Brujah complain and whine about – that is until they’re left facing the mess that young Jumbo Jones just caused when he took off at 100 miles per hour (on foot), because he got spooked by an old lady with a shovel. They don’t want to have Jumbo topped for breaching the first and they don’t want to ask the Tremere to tidy it up. And in we come, a little rewrite here, a little rewrite there, a little use of influence and cash to smooth over the harder parts and ‘hey presto’ situation taken care of. And all it cost the Brujah was a boon or two – much better than an angry Prince don’t you think?

This brings me to an important part of Camarilla society, Boons. Oh yes, Boons. They are incredibly important, I cannot stress this enough. Not only do they let us keep tabs on who fits into which level of gullible, but they also afford us some protection. If Jumbo Jones doesn’t like you, he isn’t going to perform surgery on you with his fists if he owes you a boon or three. For starters his Primogen isn’t going to like the Harpy sniffing around the situation. Even worse, he’s not going to be happy if the rest of the Ventrue suddenly stop ‘lending’ their assistance because some neonate member of his clan ignores the fact he owes a debt. Boons, they are great. Have them, use them, but DO NOT over charge and DO NOT make it impossible for someone to pay them off. It is better to be known as one who doesn’t charge heavily, it helps you beat the competition to the deal.

Back to the conservative angle. So we dress nicely – so what? As my Granddaddy always used to say, “if there’s a chance you may die, then dress to meet your maker”. I wholeheartedly agree with this. Dress well. It is hardly hurts if you are wearing a suit when the police pull you over, or when the media guy pulls up. Research has proven that they are more inclined to be accommodating when they do not perceive you as either a threat or a potential criminal. And it works well when you are in bad areas too. All the poor hobo who saw you is likely to remember is that he saw some guy in a suit. Lets face it studies have proven, people see the suit before they see the man (and if they remember a face I am sure they remember seeing the face of that Brujah who refused to pay his boon!). We drive nice cars (or at least are driven around in them) – it works as above. “Oh yeah officer, there was this limo aye, and it was yeah, black.” This sounds much better than “Oh yeah officer, it was a cut down 1967 Harley with…” And nice residences – works as well – Knock Knock “Excuse me sir there have been calls relating to a disturbance here. Have you seen or heard anything?” is much better than “Freeze Police! All right everyone down. No one move….”

You may say that I keep going back to the police, and yes I do. They are one of the most important facets of our control over both the mortal and Kindred world. Media is another of these control facets as well, but we will cover these later.

Honesty. This is very important. Do not lie to other Kindred. It is bad for business and gets you a bad name. And let’s face it after Tim the Tremere and Tina the Toreador have aura read for the 900th time and yet again found you are telling the truth, they are unlikely to be bothered continuing to do. Don’t lie, save the lying for the big things, and get someone else to do it for you! We are a RESPECTABLE clan and your actions reflect upon us all. So get someone from a clan that isn’t as respected to lie for you. See how easy it is?

As we are perceived as conservative control freaks, we often bear the brunt of attacks by Anarchs, Sabbat and others. This is ok, that is what security and fortitude are for. I mean if for the fifth time in a row, you turn up with the head of a Sabbat member, the Sheriff isn’t going to look very good in the eyes of the Prince. Personally however, I would rather dominate the Sabbat chap into a quivering mess, and then ring the Sheriff. This way he gets to look good and he owes you a favour. Yet again see how simple it is. Most of the time I use this favour to allow me to be the one who interrogates the captured chap. Its amazing how during these interrogations the Sabbat chap names one of the Kindred of the domain who are adverse to clan Ventrue being where they are. Quite, umm, convenient really.

Influence, ahhh influence. The elixir of the gods, my sire used to say. And it is addictive! Once you dip into this area, you may never escape. The ability to start stories, crash political projects, have your mother arrested – the list of what you can do is endless. Its like heroin, apart from the fact that if you use it a lot you may become a cherished member of your Princes court, rather than a homeless bum in the gutters. Control the mortal world and you shall control the Kindred world. Keep your control tight, and DON’T expect it to happen overnight. Finance, police and media are perfect start points, Finance helps you to get into all the other influences (for cash makes the world go around) while police and media allow you to assist your fellow Cainites. Eventually control will be yours and with that comes power!

Power. Ahhh the sweet smell of it, the taste, the feel, ahhhhhh. She is a cruel mistress, but one with many benefits if you play by her rules. Choice feeding grounds, progeny rights, status, ahhh the rewards are many. Maybe Prince one day. However, not everyone can be Prince, some are not cut out for the job, while others are simply to unpopular. The game of Prince is a discussion I will cover at a later date.

The Clans. These are my personal viewpoints on the other clans.

The Brujah, hard hitting whiners. I don’t have any problem with an alternative point of view, or changing the world order, as long as its changed to the way I want it. If only they wouldn’t whine all the time.

The Gangrel, skin of steel, razor sharp claws. Find out what they want and help them get it, with a few addendum’s of course.

The Malkavians, wonderful wonderful people. What more can I say. With the ability to drive you mad on a whim, their insights one would say are nothing if not refreshing.

The Nosferatu, NEVER publicly embarrass the Nosferatu. If you think we take public embarrassment badly you haven’t seen anything yet. Their contacts are without equal, for a price anything can be found out.

The Tremere, most people dislike them and want them destroyed. Personally I like having ONE or TWO around. They make us look good. Who would you rather go to for help? At least if you make us an attractive deal, there is a chance we won’t screw you.

The Toreador, I like working with the Toreador. Their needs are simple and they have auspex. Always useful in an ally, not so useful in an enemy.

Remember your clan. This is the first and most important thing I can tell you. Do not forget you are Ventrue. We are the Kings. If some little neonate is making your life uneasy talk to his sire. If that doesn’t work, talk to your sire. The situation will be dealt with, have no fear. Everything can be dealt with… for a price of course.

Welcome to the clan, it’s an exclusive club. Oh, and on that note your membership fees are due. Just pay them to that chap over there will you?

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