Ventrue Ghouls

Maintaining the Masquerade is often a priority for the Ventrue. Thus, instead of creating a ghoul, it is commonly believed that Ventrue rely on their gifts of Presence and Dominate. This, however, is a half-truth. The Ventrue do use Disciplines to test candidates for extended periods of time, but they do so primarily because they want to ensure their ghouls can sufficiently perform before they feed them. In this way, the Ventrue keeps from murdering ineffective ghouls once they have outlived their purpose, and their use of Disciplines grants the Clan the opportunity to maintain less ghouls than other Clans.

In general, Ventrue ghouls may be found in prominent businesses and government offices that form the backbone of local municipalities. For those vampires who wish to develop a more visceral means of control over a city, pawns may also be installed in various criminal circles. Ventrue ghouls also tend to be selected from the Clan’s unwitting pawns who have proven themselves in some capacity. Many of these candidates are seasoned politicians, socialites, entrepreneurs, and dignitaries.

All candidates are recruited to become ghouls with the promise of a reward which may include finances or connections. Occasionally, some Ventrue domitors will only create a ghoul under a specific set of circumstances, one that allows their candidates to choose someone to inherit their legacies. It is rare that such ghouls would do so willingly without good reason, but when they do, they fall back to the shadows and manipulate their successors from behind the scenes for the benefit of their domitors.

The Ventrue also recruits their ghouls from renowned and well-established families. Many Ventrue ghouls are hand-picked and promised an eventual Embrace to preserve fortunes and allegiances. Key family members are often turned into ghouls, however, both as a reward for their service to the Ventrue Clan and to ensure that family remains an ally. Though these ghouls might understand that they are Bound, they also recognize that the benefits of receiving vitae include the extension of their lives. Reminding ghouls that they have been spared from death is an effective method of keeping them under control, but the Ventrue Clan makes no promises to keep them from this fate indefinitely.

Regardless of their status among mortals, all Ventrue ghouls are servants to their masters, and those who do not perform are replaced by whatever means necessary. Likewise, those ghouls that show signs of wanting to act above their station tend to be removed or shifted to a new position. Because removal may include killing the ghoul to protect the Masquerade, however, many Ventrue domitors tend to treat ghouls as their employees instead of operating under the pretense of friendship. Other masters are far stricter and keep their ghouls at arm’s length.

While some Ventrue ghouls are unhappy when they come to terms with their new life, many are honored to serve the Clan. In exchange for stellar service, Ventrue ghouls might be granted the ability to check in on their mortal families. In general, however, the keys to a Ventrue ghoul’s longevity largely depends upon the domitor. Despite their pretenses, the Ventrue believe in a more traditional or archaic class structure, and many of these ideas are reflected in the way they treat their ghouls.

In ages past, the ghouls in a Ventrue manor were sorted according to a traditional hierarchy befitting a noble or a magnate. Over time, however, as the lifestyles of the upper class changed, Ventrue domitors saw the importance of modernization and adapted. In modern nights, servants are still hired as they had been in the past, but now they file paperwork and work for a busy executive instead of the lord or lady of a manor. A corporate structure allows for a competitive atmosphere, as Ventrue ghouls fight to rise further up the ladder of power — even though they will never be allowed to climb fully. In their efforts to perfectly balance their performance, Ventrue ghouls compete to earn the favor of their masters hoping they’ll be promoted above their peers.

The more military-minded Ventrue antitribu, however, tend to select ghouls based on their skills and potential use in combat. While they do treat their ghouls better than other Cainites, Ventrue antitribu domitors often position ghouls in battle, because they think of them as strategic assets more so than servants. Thus, their candidates are chosen from police, military, and organized crime backgrounds, and are ordered to serve as scouts, fighters, spies, and living weapons.

**Appearance:** Power and authority tend to characterize the way a Ventrue ghoul dresses. Immaculately groomed, Ventrue ghouls often wear well-tailored, timeless clothes that may be accentuated by finer, expensive details. Some Ventrue domitors take a special interest in the appearance of their ghouls, and occasionally dictate how their servants should be dressed. It is a rare Ventrue ghoul, however, that would ever be allowed to outshine her domitor.

**Character Creation:** Ventrue ghouls are often drawn from the ranks of entrepreneurs, investors, financiers, traders and, in rare cases, celebrities, politicians, and socialites. Other ghouls tend to be more functional, fulfilling the roles of guards, drivers, historians, and highly-skilled assassins. Mental and Social Attributes are prized almost equally, and relevant Talents and Knowledges are also a must. Resources at a high level is a common Background, as is Influence at a similar level.

**Weakness:** Ventrue ghouls are more susceptible to the commands of their masters. As such, when attempting to resist an order from any Ventrue, their difficulty to resist the use of the Dominate Discipline, or the Intimidation and Leadership Skills, is increased by two.

**Quote:** “I stand above the rest, for I have been chosen by royalty.”