Vampire Coterie

Vampires live in multi-clan societies called Coterie, known as the House or Family. Based in and around a Grand Lair, these loose associations of Vampires descended from one bloodline become incredibly powerful.

The ultimate authority comes from age and power, and the ultimate law the boundaries of the Vampire's realm. When a Vampire enters into a Family's lands, you are subject to their laws and may not hunt without their permission, or the whole house will bring their fangs to bare against you.

## Purity of Blood

Purity of the Vampiric blood is most important. Coterie choose only to allow those in their "Direct Line", a connection of Childe and Sire that descends from the house's family.

## Structure of the Coterie

Each Coterie is a unique entity, of varying size from a handful to a few dozen, though rarely ever more as Vampires in great numbers would rapidly deplete the local resources and be left to starve.

Coterie rarely form alliances with each other, instead they are at an almost constant state of cold war, with the occasional brutal fight and slaughter.

### The Lord Vampire

The leader of the house is referred to as Lord or Lady.

By drinking the fabled "Blood of the precursor", the ancient Vampire who founded the house, the Lord Vampire has the ability to transform into a Pure Blood form, more powerful than any other.

### The Hierarchy

Each Family is hierarchical, with different positions awarding different rights to the Vampires who hold it.

 Heir
 Master
 Brethren
 Thrall
 Feed
If they are lucky, they will be promoted to Thrall, if they are unlucky...

## Culling the Weak

The House will regularly "Cull" it's weakest members, to keep it's own teeth strong with an influx of new recruits while not raising the number of vampires as a whole in the region. Many family have a "one in, one out" rule, while others are a bit more lenient.

The Heirs will often scheme, once they have a strong enough power base, to kill the Lord and assume the role. This is considered natural and healthy behaviour for the most part, but it is also considered natural and healthy for a Lord who discovers proof of this to deliver swift, painful, and lethal punishment upon them.

## The Tenets and Punishment

The Tenets are the core rules within the Family that all members are to obey. The purpose of the Tenets is to keep the family strong, but to stop it from self destructing at the same time. Punishments for breaking the Tenets are often harsh, degrading, and lethal.

1. A Vampire must not be proven guilty of the murder of a Superior or Equal.
2. A Vampire must not scheme against the Family.
3. A Vampire must not disobey an order from a Superior.
4. A Vampire must maintain the Masquerade, and not allow the presence of the Family to be discovered.

Of note, the first tenet only requires you to be proven guilty of the murder- It is perfectly allowed to commit the act, but allowing yourself to be provably linked to it or witnessed is a clear show that you are not worthy.

### Punishments

Punishments are brutal, humiliating, and lethal. Many would wish for the certainty of death over some of the later ones. What punishment you receive will often depend on the general feeling of the whole Family towards you, as a Lord would be unwise to go against the wishes of the entire House.

 Death of Mercy
show leniency on criminals who are otherwise too dangerous to be allowed to circulate
 The Long Walk
 The Thousand Tortures
 Closed Casket
A stake is thrust into their heart to halt their movement, and the casket is either buried or otherwise sealed to be inescapable.
 Death of Sunlight
 Exsanguination
Through an ancient ceremony, the accused is stripped of their Vampirism, forced back into mortality, and becomes Feed.
Often, the newly-mortal vampire will be brutally murdered in their new form by those who they angered enough to be sentenced to this.

## The Coterie and Outsiders

Outsiders are not permitted within the lands of a Coterie without a special permission, known as The Invitation, from the Lord. Within a night of receiving the Invitation one must meet with the Lord of the Family or it will be revoked, and you may well find yourself brutally murdered for the insult.

The Invitation takes the form of a dark crimson stain on the back of the dominant hand, in the shape of the Family's coat of arms. As long as you bare this mark you are allowed into the lands of the Family.

When a Vampire enters into the land of a Coterie that is not of their blood, they will become extremely uneasy, a similar feeling to seasickness overcomes them. It takes a while to shake this feeling off.