Court of Blood

## Details

The Court of Blood is a convention for the Vampire Sphere and involves a reconstitution of the fragments of vampire society after The Schism which decimated the Sabbat and The Broken Throne which nearly destroyed the Camarilla.

## Basic Information

The Court of Blood, sometimes called a *Baron's Court*, is a Medieval concept that is quite familiar to the vampires of the Dark Ages. Put simply, it is a a forum whereby the vampires air their grievances against one another - settle disputes and justice is dispensed by the local Baron.

One immediately asks - "Who is Prince" or "Who is Bishop" depending on their faction prior to the events which brought both factions to their knees. The court answers with, "Who are -you-?". Blood Courts have been called before - most generally by the Barons in the Anarch free states prior to The Fall. They are occasions, often under the light of a full or the dark of a new moon, when vampires within a given area gather - regardless of their clan - to handle the affairs common to all of their kind.

## Midnight Court

When a court is called it's usually by Baron who is powerful enough to keep everyone present from tearing the heads off everyone else. The Court is considered neutral ground for the duration of the court. It is, essentially, an odd form of Elysium. A Baron (or Baroness) may call their court at any secure location they wish. Once called, all those who have business before the Baron must attend to be heard. Those who are summoned to appear before the Baron's Court are typically collected by the Sheriff.

Generally speaking, if you're at Court it's because you want something or someone wants something of you. Maybe you heard that someone has been summoned there and you want to watch what's going to happen to them. Maybe you want to see if there's anything to gain if they get 'staked and baked'. But, since you're present you're also a witness and the Tribunal might call upon you to enact a sentence of punishment.

## The Tribunal

The Tribunal is, essentially, the voices of the vampires gathered at a Baron's Court. Often a Baron will put the decision of what should be done to someone who has broken the Laws of the Night to a vote of the members of his Court. In so doing, he absolves himself of any bias in the decision - allowing the majority of his subjects to dictate how one should be punished.

So why should you obey the Baron? Well, they're often one of the more powerful vampires within a given area and if the other vampires who are present at a court agree that you have done something stupid and put them all at risk - you can guarantee that they will obey.

You have two choices if you've screwed up and you've been summoned to a Court: go and hope for the best or leave that area and never come back. If you're very lucky they'll let you go since you won't be their problem any more. If you're just lucky, they may follow you to your next destination and beat the hell out of you to teach you a lesson and to make an example of you to the next idiot with a pair of fangs wants to do something equally as stupid. If the universe is against you - they will be waiting for you to run, drag you to the court and let the others pass sentence on you. You'll be 'staked and baked' before the night is out.

## Details

* The Court of Blood would be a semi-regular event whereby all vampires would be welcome to meet at a set point for an evening of rp.
* The Court of Blood would encourage intra-faction rp within the Vampire sphere.
* The Court would probably be a forum to deal with plots that come into the Vampire sphere and be good for Troupes to work with.

## Parlance

* **Staked and Baked:** A death sentance carried out by the tribunal whereby an offending vampire is staked through the heart to immobilize them and then left out in the sun on a high place to burn.
* **Sheriff:** A vampire who has been charged by a Baron to uphold his peace.
	+ Imagine you're the oldest in a family of multiple little children. All they do, every night, is come bug you about how someone stole their doll, broke their toy or the like - but you have no power to do anything about it. All you can do is to wait until the parents get home.
* **Boxed:** A punishment where a vampire is placed in a box and burried in the earth - usually after having been staked. This often happens for offenses that are moderate in their severity and lasts for a moon.
* **Fanged:** A punishment where a vampire has their fangs ripped out by the root. This is often the punishment for someone feeding on the herd of another or within the domain of another. True, the fangs will grow back in time but the process is quite painful.